I was in Boston this week, just as the people there were digging themselves out from the latest winter storm. Some people, like the owner of this car, are going to have to do quite a bit of digging.

A lot of people who live in warmer parts of the country look at a scene like this and think,"I'm glad it's not me" or even "I could never live in a place that had weather like that."

Of course people say the same thing about the rain in the Northwest or the eyeball-melting heat of the summers in Arizona where I live.

But the thing is, snapshots like this hardly tell the whole story. Boston is a beautiful city, alive with a unique culture and full of rich history. In fact the entire New England area can be absolutely spectacular in the spring, summer and fall.

Winter episodes like this are the price people are willing to pay to live there. In fact they wear it like a badge of honor.

The same goes for us in Arizona, where we love the dry conditions, our spectacular desert sunsets, and the resort-style weather that we bask in most of the year. And we take pride in living through the triple-digit temperatures of summer to get to those months.

It's the same no matter where you live, and it's the same for most things that play a significant role in your life. There are parts you love and parts you have to learn to love.

It's no different in your practice. You may love being a dentist who delivers quality care, but you also recognize there are other parts to being a business owner such as the accounting and management duties. These tasks may not be your first love, but you learn to love them because they're an inescapable part of what you do. Similarly, there are patients who are easy to love and who make your professional life fulfilling, and then there are ... others.

Learn to love the disturbances. Love what they say about you; that you're able to conquer them again and again. Wear your disturbances as a badge of honor. You can't break through to real success without knowing how to weather a storm.


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Commenter's Profile Image Gerald Benjamin
February 16th, 2013
I have had 3 long term mentors in my 36 year career: Frank Spear, Fred McIntyre (Bd Cert. Pros) and Newton Fahl. Each of them taught me how to do fabulous clinical dentistry. Frank also taught me two additional things: 1. Only do the clinical dentistry that you love to do and 2. Have the practice that you want to have. Debbie told Frank to get out of the business side of the practice and Tricia does EVERYTHING else in my practice except restoring teeth. I do NOTHING but fix teeth and restore implants. And for the last 30 years, I see no patient who wants to ruin my day. Life is good when you do the dentistry that you want to do on the people that you want to treat. I live in the same condo building as my office so I could care less what is happening outside. lol