What is the 'Reverse Math' of Happiness?

Remember the movie Cast Away, with Tom Hanks? Remember how he “personalized” and gave human characteristics to the volleyball that washed ashore with him? Over time, “Wilson” became very real to him, to the point where he experienced genuine grief when he lost him at sea.

That was a very dramatic scene that makes a very profound point. For human beings, interaction with other people can be a primal need, just as much as food and water.

It didn't matter if Wilson was actually “real.” The need to create Wilson was real, and so was the sense of loss.

As a dentist, you likely don't have to worry about feeling lonely and isolated; you deal with people every day. And sometimes that's the problem. Anytime you have anything in great abundance it can be easy to take it for granted. Let's face it; the people in our lives are often our greatest source of frustration. We need to remember they are also our greatest source of joy.

As the great American writer Mark Twain said, “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” To that I would only add that the more people you can divide it with, the more your joy multiplies. It is the “reverse math” of happiness.

I talk a lot about achieving success in the dental practice. Sometimes this success involves talking about numbers, strategies and technologies. But I hope we never lose sight of why we're doing all this. To be successful in any real sense is to feel love and gratitude for the people around you: your family, friends, patients and your team. Without them, you really would feel cast adrift.