Change Your Luck

Hopefully you have been fortunate over the years to surround yourself with trusted advisors or mentors who have been influential in your growth and development–both personally and professionally. Often the advice they give comes in the form of words or phrases that stick in your head and resonate. One of my favorites is “the harder I work the luckier I seem to get.” I so totally believe that!

Consider the doctor who attracts 40 new patients a month. Did these patients just fall out of the sky? I don’t believe so. That doctor has spent money and time to develop a great website. He also employs an energetic and social media savvy staff member who has been given the opportunity to spend one hour a day maintaining an active Facebook Page, publishing posts and engaging and responding to followers. That is work–not luck!

Consider the doctor who started two large veneer cases this month. Does that happen by chance? I don’t think so. That doctor has spent countless hours on continuing education courses with the best of the best. That doctor spends the time and money to fly to Scottsdale a few times every year to improve clinical skills hanging out with the likes of Dr. Frank Spears. That takes effort and dedication and commitment and work.

Consider the doctor who actually loves going to work every day because she has made the effort to surround herself with a fabulous staff. She has built and maintained a great team of talented customer service oriented people. She has created a wonderful atmosphere where staff truly want to work, and patients love to visit and refer others.  Can this all happen because she is lucky? This is the result of a lot of hard work.

It is my opinion, after interacting with 600+ practices over the past 19 years, that probably 85% of dentists significantly under-achieve their true potential. They don’t do this intentionally. They may often feel successful on some fronts. But they simply are just not aware of the upside.

On a personal level and as a way of illustrating my point, I want to tell you that for years I have been consistently going to the gym and putting in the time. This past January, I decided to hire a trainer. I have lost 14 pounds and am in the best shape of my life. I now realize that what I thought was a workout at the gym was the equivalent to a walk in the park!

So the sooner you stop waiting to hit the lottery with your dental practice, the better off you will be. Lady luck is unlikely to pay you a visit. There is no substitute for setting goals and then working really hard – harder than you ever thought possible – in order to achieve them. Then – and only then – will you feel lucky.