The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

UP FOR A CHALLENGE?

Master the 'Never Quit' frame of mind

Hello, dear Practicon friends. This month, I'd like to share some non-dental (or maybe I should say non-clinical) thoughts with you. The concepts mentioned below apply to the discussion of anyone's personal well-being in the dental profession. As I've written many times, there's more to life than the four walls of your dental practice.

Many of you know that Practicon is located in Greenville, a mid-size city in eastern North Carolina. We're in the flat coastal plains, just inland from the Atlantic Ocean with its bays, sounds, and barrier islands. The western part of the state is mountainous, hosting 95.7 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) within our state and another 224.7 miles along the shared border with Tennessee. The AT is actually the focal point of this article.

The AT is a continuous footpath, stretching 2,192 miles from Spencer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, and covering over 400 mountains, the highest of which are along the N.C./Tennessee border. The entire length of the trail can be traversed by most thru-hikers in five to seven months, and to be a thru-hiker on the AT is one of the ultimate achievements in the hiking world. Scott and Brad, two of our sons, have hiked about 100 miles of the Trail and testify to the intensity and difficulty, as well as to the pride and satisfaction of the accomplishment.

I've recently read a book by a young Floridian, Kyle Rohrig, who completed the AT and gained the wisdom of a lifetime in the process. On the final page of his book, Lost on the Appalachian Trail, Kyle writes:

If I had to describe the entire experience of the Trail in just a few words and give you the single most useful piece of advice for thru-hiking and life in general, it would be this:

The Trail has its ups and downs and you have to decide how you are going to react and handle each and every one of them. What you take within your backpack is not nearly as important as what you take within yourself. Bring a sense of wonder and a willingness to learn and adapt. Keep a positive attitude and your sense of humor at all times, even when the lows are at their lowest. Find humor in everything and laugh at all the bad things that happen to you. Realize the subtle nuances of your suffering are nothing more than blessings in disguise. Pursue your own definition of happiness in the truest and most honest form that you define it to be; but most importantly, NEVER QUIT! Do this and you cannot fail, because everything is what you perceive it to be and what you make of it. Master this frame of mind and you will master yourself and everything that you do. [I challenge you to apply the concepts Kyle mentions to your practice of dentistry and how you feel about your profession.]

Human life is fleeting, and in the grand scheme of the universe, our existence doesn't even register. We have a short time with which to make the most of our lives, and in this day and age many people have trouble finding the joy as well as the positives in their life. In our flurry of activities, schedules, trials, and tribulations, we sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses. We forget to acknowledge the moments and events that have positive or neutral impacts on our lives, maybe even taking them for granted. We often overlook our blessings in disguise and fail to see them for what they are, or could be. Learn to slow down and recognize more of these seemingly insignificant instances that are buried through the chaos of our lives, and you might find that extra bit of peach and happiness we are all searching for...

Further, Kyle writes:

Being out there had taught me the purpose of life, or at least my own purpose to life. The purpose wasn't long distance hiking; the purpose is happiness in simplicity. Life is about simplicity and experiences—food, water, shelter, good friends, loved ones, and great memories. Anything beyond that is a bonus and should be viewed as such… Life and living is simple. We are the ones who complicate it.

Are you ready for a new challenge? Something different in your life? Freedom from the day-to-day routine? A new way to face the challenges of managing your practice? Read Kyle's book or peruse his website at BoundlessRoamad.com. You may decide a new challenge is just what you need at this time in your life. Maybe even hiking the whole 2,192 miles of the Appalachian Trail!

And check out our Free Resources for Your Practice for additional insights, information, and practice management tips.