The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

Remember your first day working in a dental office? I clearly remember mine. After years as a classroom teacher, I felt as if I'd walked into a perfect fit for my interests, skills, and temperament. Enthusiasm for the profession bubbled to the surface of my work life immediately. Passing years have proven my intuition correct. My love of dentistry and my enthusiasm for the profession has never waned.

Soon after I began work, I came across a piece written by a dentist, Dr. Earl Mabry. I've since lost track of Dr. Mabry, but his thoughts have inspired me all these years. His writing described my own enthusiasm for my new career path so well that I paraphrased Dr. Mabry's text and kept it in my files permanently. I have read and reread it over the years, often sharing it with friends and clients. Perhaps Dr. Mabry's thoughts will help you rekindle that sense of enthusiasm you felt when you began in dentistry.

• Enthusiasm can change your life; create happiness, not only for you, but for those around you. All we need to make us really happy is to be enthusiastic about something; comfort and luxury are not the chief requirements of life.


• Enthusiasm is the power that lifts one dentist above the others. It is more powerful than intelligence, more salable than skill.


• Ask yourself: Was your best hygienist or dental assistant your best technician or the most enthusiastic about her/his job?


• Dental enthusiasm is caring. It is an insatiable interest in your patient's welfare; a rapturous excitement in what you are capable of doing for your patient; an honest concern for those who work with, not for, you.


• Enthusiasm is a genuine smile, an encouraging word, a pleasant mood, a willing ear. It is deep seated.


• The word itself comes from the Greek "en," meaning "in" and "theos," meaning "God." Enthusiasm means "God within" or "inspired by God."


• You can fake a smile and excitement, but enthusiasm comes from within. Happiness is the enthusiastic anticipation of doing something new and different.

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