My dental practice advice-Visualize What You Want in Practice to Get What You Want.

My dental practice advice to program members is …….Visualize what you want and watch it happen !

You probably visualized becoming a dentist but have you lost this valuable habit.

“If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” Most of us are very familiar with this ‘heuristic’ on the power of the human subconscious. Since Maxwell Maltz’s early documentation of visualizing imagery and in numerous psych studies in today’s world involving real time brain imaging, the saying is truer than ever–picture it in your mind and chemical process in the brain are altered.

Many dentists were visualizers as they dreamed of becoming to dental school and many likely continued to use that skill during training to overcome the challenges of professional training.

Most then STOPPED visualizing except perhaps during amateur athletics of some kind.

I’m a firm believer that it’s important not to simply visualize to get past your training but to continue to use this powerful tool your entire life to get you toward your goals.

Years ago I decided I wanted to leave a cold, wet environment and live somewhere tropical. I started setting goals AND I started visualizing. Guess what, within 5 years, I’m living in my dream location while I continue to help colleagues achieve dreams in their practices with our marketing and ethical selling programs. The visualizing continues even now as I’m doing some cool things that help young musicians find their way in the world. I end each day with reviewing successes from one day and visualizing the successes I expect the next on what I’m working on then I go to sleep and let my subconscious work on the best answers to what I’m finding problematic.

Besides the athletes who are regular visualizers, most of the population doesn’t get the power of this, most aren’t aware, others who were made aware never believe in it…….very unfortunate.

Comedian-Actor Jim Carrey predated a check for $10M in 1997 and in 1995 he got the real deal courtesy of “Dumb and Dumber.” He admits he visualized that check for years and years. I did the same thing for my cases, case fees, etc. The visualizing isn’t magic where something happens without effort. What it is is telling your mind (conscious and subconscious) it’s time to take action.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a harsh email about excuses made for not getting what one wants in practice. These days things like solid administrative systems, ethical selling systems, knowledge about promoting, and of course leadership are all more important than any of the drill/cut skills. How many of those lacking in these critical non-clinical skill sets are studying and visualizing results?  Probably around zero.  Same group….howling and complaining though on the excuse side…..

Oprah—big fan of visualizing…….Big. O. says “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” Referring to dreaming big and then getting to work.

Here’s a little science if you’re still skeptical. Russian scientists compared four groups of Olympic athletes dictating how much of training would be physical and how much mental.
First Group = 100% physical training.
Second Group = 75% physical training and 25% mental training.
Third Group = 50% mental training and 50% physical training.
Fourth Group = 75% mental training with 25% physical training.

The fourth group came out on TOP. Again, with only 25% physical training!
Human nature is such that even after this study the Russian athletes probably no only visualize 50% of the time and workout 50% of the time…..no one wants to believe that so much of the game is mental!

One doesn’t have to dig very far to find many stories where the “herd” (even “experts) believed something (idea, plan, or project) and all agreed that it wasn’t possible, and yet someone else saw the same problem and accomplished a dream with a can-do attitude.

Agostino d’Antonio, a renaissance Italian sculpture, worked tirelessly on a big block of marble which he knew was to be his masterpiece. Eventually he gave up lamenting that he could do nothing with it. Others followed and all stopped in frustration. Along came Michelangelo, a sculptor who talked a lot about visualizing which stone to reveal what’s inside the marble. And the rest is history – David – his masterpiece.

I do hope that his missive will either start you into a habit of visualizing what it is you want from your practice and get the tools (things such as an unfair advantage in ethical selling of your services, and an unfair advantage in promoting your services)….needed to help get your there. To get started check out my #1 top selling book on Amazon.