The Excursion
I’ve written before that I like to ride my bike, and recently I did an excursion that pushed me to my limits. In Canyonlands National Park outside Moab, Utah there’s a road that goes around and into the White Rim Canyon. This road is typically traversed by 4-wheel-drive Jeeps and some bikers over multiple day guided trips, and is considered one of the most beautiful parts of the park. My friends and I were crazy enough to bike all 100 miles of this rough road in one day. We did it last year in about 12 hours–finishing in the dark. But this year, we came more prepared and started earlier in the morning to hopefully really nail this ride.
The Challenge
It started fast, the road conditions were great, and the temperatures were cool. However, as we dropped down 2,000 feet into the canyon along some steep roads the conditions instantly changed and we slogged through the next 40 miles of roads at a snail’s pace. We were averaging 4 or 6 miles per hour on our full-suspension mountain bikes. The dry conditions had turned this normal dirt road into a sand-trap of dust. Our tires were swishing around and it took maximum pedal strength to just move forward at a walking-pace.
As we debated how horrible this torture was, my wise friend said, “Just add the words ‘Right Now’ to your thoughts. This sucks – right now. We’re moving slow – right now. I want to pick up my satellite phone and call for air-extraction – right now.”
Your Challenges
Sometimes in our practices we go through times of employee turnover. We go through stretches of fillings giving sensitivity. We have implant failures. When these tough times inevitably occur it’s a good idea to always add the words “right now” to the end of our mental monologue.
When we frame it that this sucks “right now,” it helps us realize that every feeling and season in our practice is temporary. The good times are short lived, and the bad times are short lived too.
It’s during these bad times, the short ones, that we also need to take notice of what we can do to help the situation to be more short lived. If your front desk doesn’t know what to do and screws up, then what can you do to help train them to be better? Maybe utilize an online platform like Front Office Academy to help teach new/better skills? When your implants are failing, what can you do to treatment plan and execute better? Maybe watch some more online CE on Dental Success Network or go to an in-person course at Colorado Surgical Institute?
No matter what, we know that things always change. To be complacent with where you are, or to feel trapped in your current situation is just not realistic. Everything has a “right now,” and then it will be different.
PS – If you’re going through crap and don’t have a strong support community like Dental Success Network, consider joining – ‘Right Now!’