When you’re staring down the pipeline of your intended exit from practice ownership, the voice in your head can take you in one of two different directions. Those different directions are connected to your state of being.
The dentist that says “I’m done” has a very different looking exit and future than the one that says “I’m ready.”
For many dentists, practice ownership has become as much about patient and staff recruitment as it has clinical performance. It can feel like half of what we do for a living as dentists is sales. Sales to get patients in the door. Sales to get staff in the door. Sales to keep patients happy. Sales to create staff engagement. For technically trained surgeons, it’s not always the part of our capability and passion that requires our energy. That energy depletion can land you with the feeling of having little left to give. I’ve been there before.
For an exit to be successful it has to also be an entrance to something new.
The state of mind that comes with being “done” is negative: It’s leaving something behind because you’ve had enough. The state of mind that comes with being “ready” is positive: It’s accompanied by hope, excitement, and possibility.
“Done” is about a moment. “Ready” is about the future.
Recently I heard a profound quote by Tony Robbins who said the key to happiness is actually progress, not achievement. Achievements create a moment of happiness that can last seconds, minutes, days, and maybe a bit longer. But then we move on to the next scheduled achievement (especially as dentists!). Progress on the other hand is about an ongoing process and pursuit. It becomes a state of being where you get to measure gains on an ongoing basis. That focus on progress can create continuous reflection, gratitude, and happiness.
If Tony Robbins is right and the key to happiness is progress, not achievement, then the moment of selling is unlikely to yield the freedom one might be chasing. Readiness welcomes a new future with goals, new focus, and PROGRESS toward something different.
If you’re feeling “done”, take a quiet moment to yourself at a time where you aren’t depleted and ask yourself “What am I ready for?”
