Originally published April 2008 in Trojan Today.
My wife and I are the proud grandparents of our fourth grandchild. Her parents live in Montana, one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. We just returned from a wonderful week hanging out with little Molly Ann. She seems very calm and centered, and, in my eyes, already enlightened. We could not be more pleased with this latest member of the human family.
In conversations with our son, I realized since they live outside the city, they are on well water and therefore do not have the benefit of fluoride in their water. I know there are other fluoride treatments, but this fact prompted me to reflect on the dental industry and its commitment to health maintenance. The use of fluoride in drinking water is endorsed by over 90% of the country’s health organizations, but only about half of the U.S. population receives the maximum benefit of community water fluoridation and the use of fluoride products.
You, the oral health segment of medicine who have been in the forefront of advocating for prevention and nurturing healthy communities, are to be commended for that leadership. You have taught the rest of us it is better and often less expensive to prevent a health problem than to solve one. That principle can provide sound wisdom in other areas of life as well. Stephen Covey, in his bestseller, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, invites us to “begin with the end in mind.”
Think of the many benefits of operating your professional and personal life with that conviction. Being proactive, rather than reactive, can result in a variety of cost-saving and face-saving outcomes. It can also dramatically improve the joy and value in your life. I will share my current list of top ten ways to be proactive.
I invite you to add to my list … or better yet to create your own.
1.) Begin every day by affirming your personal and professional vision. I hope all of you have developed a vision statement that gives you meaning and inspires you. Each morning, as I dress, I remind myself of my personal vision statement.
I am a human being.
I will never be a victim.
I will never be an oppressor.
I will never be a bystander.
I am a human being.
I live fully.
I learn much.
I laugh often.
I love well.
I lead myself and others.
I am a human being.
2.) Begin every week by planning the balance in your life. Make certain you are keeping your personal and professional lives in balance. Am I practicing extreme self-care so I can be fully present to my family, my staff, my patients, and others? It is important to have harmony between engaged and disengaged times. Are you nurturing your body, mind, and spirit?
3.) Begin every month be revisiting your life goals. Am I on track in my evolution as a wonderful human being? Remember: It’s your life; don’t miss it. Each time you turn the calendar, remind yourself of the vision you have of your future. Our destiny is determined not by some outside force or past experience, but by the decisions we make each day. We create the world we live in by our language and our behavior.
4.) Begin every year by reflecting more on the future than on the past. What are the successes on which I will build in the coming year? How can I do even more of what I love? Designing an even better future is fun and empowering.
5.) Begin every meeting fully prepared. If the meeting is important enough to attend, it is important enough to attend fully prepared to facilitate or participate. Too many meetings stumble along when participants are not prepared. Too often the first five minutes are spent complaining about who is late or not in attendance. Every meeting tells a story. What is the story this meeting will tell?
6.) Begin every encounter aware each person is unique and presents a new opportunity for you. Treat each customer, client, friend, or other as they would want to be treated. Recognize and celebrate the good inside of you, as you honor and acknowledge the good in each person you encounter.
7.) End every day with gratitude. Many people suggest the quality of one’s life rises in direct relationship to the gratitude in that life. Keep a gratitude journal. Speak words of appreciation to your life partner, your children, and others.
8.) End every week with some celebration. As you look back at the completed week, there are always stories of success to share. People and organizations move in the direction of the stories they tell. Make certain you continue to tell stores that capture the good about your life.
9.) End every month by listing discoveries. The only wasted day is a day during which you have not claimed some learning. Sometimes those lessons are filled with great joy. Sometimes they are filled with tears. But always there is new insight to claim and add to your personal wisdom. Use a journal to record your discoveries.
10.) End your life with rejoicing. A Lakota friend of mine tells of the cultural belief that when a child is born, the community rejoices and the infant cries. The goal is to live your life so when you die, the community cries and you rejoice.
There is always more power and energy in creating and following an attractive vision of the future than in continuing to try to fix the past. I want happiness and health for my new granddaughter Molly Ann, as I want happiness and health for all members of the human family. I want for each of you to have the courage to live your lives on your terms and as a gift to the universe.
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