happydentistI have a friend at the club where I work out who has been going there for a couple of years. If you were to meet him, you would recognize right away that this is a person who takes his fitness seriously. Not only can you see that he is in good physical shape – but you can sense the energy and vitality he has, how much he loves life and how much he enjoys taking care of his body.

You should have seen him two years ago. When he first came to the club back then, he was overweight and drastically out of shape. Then he got together with a trainer that challenged him to walk for one mile. It was hard, but he did it. He did that every day for a month.

The next month he increased that challenge by walking for a mile and half. After several months, he was up to 5 miles a day. Then he started running—again beginning with just half a mile. Today, I would bet that there are few men his age that could outlast him on a run.

The lessons here may seem obvious—that meaningful change seldom comes overnight. That it takes dedication and discipline, preparedness to start modestly and work your way up to loftier results. But how often do we really accept and embrace those realities?

Right now, you probably know what changes you would most like to see in your practice, your career and your life. You probably also know what it would take to make those changes happen – at least in general terms. And you probably have a number of reasons for why you haven't started yet.

Start anyway. As my friend at the fitness club would tell you, it's those first few steps that are the hardest but after that, each little victory brings its own momentum. You discover new levels, which bring new perspectives and new challenges. Eventually, you find yourself looking back and being amazed at how far you have come.

Really committing to a plan for growth is one of the most inspiring things human beings can do for themselves. Do yourself a favor—identify the changes you want to see, and take the first steps toward making it happen.

Today. Your future self will thank you.

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Commenter's Profile Image John Sweeney
June 26th, 2014
Great Post Imtiaz... I agree that committing to a plan of growth is the most inspiring thing human beings can do for themselves. It's really committing to a series of smaller dreams. Dreams for your practice, dreams for how healthy you would like to be later in life, Dreams for your family, etc.. At some point in some folks lives, they just stop dreaming. Some may call it a "rut". Or they hit a wall. They practice is just the same old everyday grind... Working to pay bills and for a lifestyle that's not really making them happy. They may look at themselves as too old to really make a commitment to improve or change their reality.. They basically have stopped "dreaming" for themselves. I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau and I think it really fits what you are talking about in this post. Henry David Thoreau "I learned this at least by my experiment: if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." No matter how old or how long we have practiced, we can always find things to dream about and aspire to. I'm constantly inspired at Spear education when I go to workshops and meet dentists who are on the back end of their career yet still engaged and more excited than ever about practicing dentistry. Spear education is like the personal trainer you mentioned earlier...