Raising kids can be difficult work, as anyone who has them knows. When they're very young, they need constant attention (and diaper changing) and cost you lots of lost sleep. Then come the tantrums of the toddler years, the sibling fights and the teenage rebellions.

And yet when you ask most parents what brings them the greatest joy in life they will say it's their children. Are they lying? Or have they forgotten all the hassles and frustrations of parenting?

Neither, of course. They simply value their kids – and the experience of being a parent – so highly that they accept and embrace the challenges that go with it. Their love is truly unconditional.

The lesson here is that our focus must always be anchored on value to give us a meaningful context.

Whenever I see dentists who have lost their passion for the profession, it's usually because they have lost sight of this. To them, it becomes all about the frustrations and challenges. They have lost their sense of context. And the dentists who are loving the journey? They have exactly the same frustrations, and exactly the same challenges. The difference is that they – like those parents – focus on the value of what they're doing above all else.

In a life that comes with inescapable responsibilities, this can be one of the most important mental skills to develop: the ability to recognize the value of the things you are responsible for.


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