Making a Difference in Dental Patients’ Lives

Have you ever thought about how you want to be remembered? What will those who know you best remember most about you? Perhaps you greet everyone with a smile, and cheery hello, or maybe you look for the good in any situation. Whatever your gift may be, it is uniquely yours. It is your purpose. Robert F. Kennedy said, “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.”

Creating a Positive Difference

We all have a purpose that we can and should use to help create a positive difference in the lives of those around us. Some are greater than others, but all are equally important. Working in the dental field all these years has shown me my purpose. I am a people person. I like to listen and communicate with others in a way that lets them know they are important. Not everyone likes or wants to do this, and that’s ok. They have other talents or gifts that help them to make a difference. The purpose itself is not what is important, it is that you use it positively that helps others that matters most.

We live in a society that places a high value on things. We define success by what we have and, unfortunately, not by what we give back. Therefore, we sometimes think it’s not important what we do but how much we make for doing it. “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give,” Winston Churchill. An ideal that some have forgotten as we do less and expect more – more money, more stuff, more everything. That is why now, more than ever, it is important to find our purpose and use it to make a difference in everything we do, especially in our careers.

Success Will Follow

When I hired a front office coordinator, one candidate impressed me the most during the interview with her desire to help patients. She knew what had to be done in a busy practice, but she focused on ensuring that the patients had a great experience and understood their treatment and how the dental team could help them access the best dental care possible. She illustrated this to me when she told me about previous experiences in dental practices. Stories that proved she could handle daily tasks and difficult situations. Those qualities helped make my decision to hire her so incredibly easy. It is a decision that I have not regretted.

I have heard it said that “Life is short.” Here’s an alternative to this phrase, it’s not the length of time we have that matters it’s what we do with the time we are given. So once again, I ask what will those who know you best remember most about you? Will they remember all of the stuff, or will they remember what you did and how you made them feel?  I challenge you to focus on your purpose and encourage you to work to make a difference, not a dollar, and see if you aren’t more successful than you ever thought possible.

Updated September 2022.