“If I had known it was this simple, I would have done it long ago.” Over the years, I have heard that a lot from grateful and newly-inspired clients, usually a few months after they've begun implementing their new strategies. And while I'm always thrilled with their success, it's also kind of frustrating to hear this. In most cases, they could have done it long ago. The fact is, most dentists have no idea of how much value they're sitting on, and just how close they are to creating a dream practice and an ideal lifestyle.

Let's take a look at just one obvious example. I can't tell you how many dentists I've seen who are 15 or 20 years into their career and are still going to work each day in a facility that doesn't inspire them.

They have a vision in their heads of what their dream practice would look like – the design, layout and technology – but they end up trapped in the inertia of the comfort zone and that's where their dream practice stays, in their heads.

But think about it, if you're in mid-career you've already made it one way or another through the hard part of getting established and building the practice to the point where it delivers a comfortable return. You have the patient base, the team support and a reliable cash flow. You have everything you need to take the next step.

And it isn't a very big step. In most cases, all it takes to make this good practice a great practice is to increase production by about $30 an hour. That works out to about $40,000 a year after variable expenses (based on a four-day schedule), and $40,000 a year in re-investments translates into some pretty substantial upgrades.

Stop and realize just how close you are to realizing your dream. Whether it's $30, $50, or $100, it could be all that's standing between you and your dream facility. And chances are, you don't have to go far to find someone else who's doing it already. I have yet to see any practice that can't achieve that kind of increase just by implementing a few well-chosen strategies.

And remember, this is just one isolated area. Imagine if you shake off the comfort zone slumber and start re-examining everything in this way: How you invest your time, how you lead the team, how you present and manage cases, your work/lifestyle balance. How great would it be to have all these things come together in ideal harmony?

There is an old saying: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." It pains me to think how many dentists will never realize how close they are to ideal success.


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