DR. ACE GOERIG
OWNER & CO-FOUNDER
Dear Colleague,
What do you think today about the very first root canal you ever did back in dental school? Most endodontists would probably cover their eyes and shake their head. That apprehensively performed procedure was a far cry from the proficiency you have now. And yet, despite the shortcomings, it was such an essential step in your journey to becoming a confident and capable endodontist.
Almost anything that is truly important in any stage of life begins with a nervous “first time” that precedes future competency and success. Your first steps. Your first words. Your first day in school. Your first love. Your first job. Your first home. Your first child. All these things are examples of doing something you have never done before that shapes your future—essential steps in your journey.
At New Years, we can look ahead to the coming year, and I think the greatest opportunity is asking what our “firsts” will be this year. What things will we do this year that will influence and expand our personal and professional journey into the years ahead? Here are two areas to focus on:
1. Target your limits
Limits are barriers that hold us back and they are almost always a product of our own doing (or not doing). You may feel limits in your personal relationships, your finances, your team, your schedule, your time, or any number of things that influence success, enjoyment, or quality of life personally or professionally.
Limits are very individualized because, unless you are facing a universal limit that everyone else has too and no one has overcome, the solution is found in you. Often as we approach a limit, we feel resistance in the form of preconceptions, programmed responses, replays of past experiences, and self-doubt.
However, if you think of every limit in your life like that first root canal you did in dental school, then you have a template for overcoming almost any limit: education, coaching, focus and effort, and a willingness to let go of the perfection impulse that prevents so many people from attempting something new.
But, even if imperfectly achieved, if you can move yourself just past that limit for the first time, your perspective completely changes. The story changes from “I have never” to “I can”. It’s a world of difference mentally and emotionally.
My suggestion is to make a list right now of 5 limits in your practice or life that are holding you back. These are probably things that have been in the back of your mind for years. Commit to taking the actions needed this year to get past each of those limits for the first time (even if you are apprehensive about imperfection).
2. Experiences of a lifetime
My next suggestion for “firsts” in the coming year is to focus on experiences of a lifetime. These can be things that you’ve always wanted to do, new places to travel to, something that brings meaning into your life, or other things that resonate with you for personal reasons.
In short, experiences of a lifetime are “memory builders”. They are things you can talk about, reminisce, and share for years to come. If you think about the most important memories of your life, they are usually tied to things that were new, different, or challenging. Some challenges we don’t have a choice about. They inevitably happen to us, especially with respect to difficult times with loved ones. But in terms of things that are new and different, that is something you can plan and purposefully build happy memories. As a parent (and now grandparent), I have always strived to create these special experiences and memories for myself and my family.
One of best things about endodontics for me is that I created a practice with the financial success and time flexibility so that I have never felt any limits in creating lifetime experiences for myself and my family. It is my personal mission through Endo Mastery to teach endodontists how to create an empowered “lifestyle practice” that fuels a life that they love.
My suggestion is to make a list right now of 5 lifetime experiences that you’ve always wanted to achieve, and then decide what you are going to do this year to make progress on those goals. Don’t put these goals off until some magical date in the future when all the stars align. These are the pinnacle experiences of a happy life for you and your family, and that should be what you are working for.
Celebrating opportunities and possibilities
I will close this message with a reminder that the opportunities and possibilities we anticipate and celebrate at the New Year will come to you. Sometimes it may not be obvious or in the form that you expect. Sometimes the day-to-day routine will tempt you to overlook or gloss over the significance.
Keep your eyes open for the next “first” in your practice and life. Endodontics is the greatest profession. It can give you everything you dream about.
I hope you have an amazing year,
Dr. Ace Goerig
DDS, MS, ABE Diplomate
Endo Mastery Owner