A Lesson in Self-Accountability

There was a large magnificent tree on our property where I grew up in Kenya. This is the kind of tree that is ideal for an adventurous boy to climb and play in. I also discovered it was an ideal place to hide the books that I was to bring home from school for studying.

When my mother asked me if I had any reading homework I just showed her my empty bag and said no. I suspect she caught on pretty quickly to what I was doing but she never let me know. It was simply understood that I had to get passing grades and she let me figure out for myself how I would accomplish that.

Sure enough, after several days of frantically catching up on my reading at recess and lunchtime while my friends were playing, I came to understand the value of proper preparation.

 

My mother is a very wise woman. The lesson she was trying to instill in me was that the best kind of motivation comes from self-accountability. At the age I was then, she set the standards for me, but she knew the best way for me to meet those standards was not just to get me to follow directions but to get me to truly care about my education for my own sake. It's a lesson that must be internalized by anyone who truly strives for excellence, because no one else in the real world will be as interested in your success as you are.

As a dentist, you had plenty of guidance and follow-up throughout your years of education, and even after you are in practice for yourself there are governing bodies and your patients to hold you to basic standards of competence. As long as you maintain those minimum standards, and as long as you meet your minimum CE requirements, no one is going to push you to do more. You can "hide your books in the tree" forever.

If you want more from the profession and from yourself, you'll set your own your standards and will make yourself accountable for reaching them. That is really the secret behind any high achiever in any field—the ability to push oneself to go beyond what is merely necessary.

In dentistry, you have countless opportunities—through workshops and courses, online education, and study clubs—to rise above average. It's just a matter of making yourself accountable for reaching those higher levels. It's the kind of accountability that comes naturally when you are genuinely passionate about what you do, and you insist on being better than "good enough."

In dentistry, being good at what you do is mandated—being great is entirely up to you.