Dashrath Manjhi was a poor farm laborer who lived in a small remote village in India. It was a village that was separated from the nearest markets, schools and the fields where he worked by a small mountain. The only way to get across was by taking a long, dangerous footpath. For years, local people had petitioned the government to build a better connection but nothing happened.

One day, Dashrath's beloved wife suffered a severe injury on the path while trying to bring him water where he worked. That's when he decided to take action. He picked up a chisel, a hammer and a shovel and he set to work singlehandedly to carve a passageway through the hillside. Later, his wife fell ill and died in part because she could not reach a hospital in time. Dashrath responded by working even harder on his project so others would not have to suffer the same kind of tragedy because of lack of access.

For a long time, he was ignored and many considered him just a foolish man trying to do the impossible. Eventually, as he began to make visible progress people started giving him food and helped him buy tools. He worked at carving that passage day and night, every day, beginning in 1960. In 1982, after 22 years of relentless work, it was completed. The 360-foot roadway literally transformed the lives of the residents in the region, and today people from more than 60 neighboring villages use it regularly. When Dashrath Manjhi died in 2007, he was given a state funeral.

Stories like this really serve to illustrate just what it means to give meaning and purpose to life. Not everyone will tackle an extraordinary project like this, but we all can infuse our lives with a sense of purpose that is as pure and genuine.

As dentists your purpose is clear: to provide the very best care you can to your patients. Even if they don't value it much at first, your role is to keep carving out that path to great dentistry for everyone to enjoy. That means moving forward sometimes an inch at a time using the best tools you can get and surrounding yourself with the best support you can find. Keep true to your purpose and relentless about executing your obligations every day with every patient and you will start to see results. As Dashrath Manjhi proved, one person with an unshakeable sense of purpose can move mountains.

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