Years ago, when I was so unhappy in practice, I would not allow myself to even imagine doing anything else.

I spent a lot of time Googling other jobs dentists can do, but nothing ever sounded good enough to replace the thing that made me feel so miserable.

At the time, I had so many good reasons why nothing else was an option. I believed I couldn’t explore anything until my student loans were paid off. When I solved that, the economy turned, so I convinced myself I should feel lucky to have a job. After that, I thought I was ready to finally do it, except I just needed someone to show me what to do and how to do it. Whatever it was, there was always a reason I could not change. I thought I was ready, but at every opportunity to try, I stayed paralyzed.

That’s the problem with only ever thinking and planning but never getting into action. Action is always how we get our answers.

Think about getting into dentistry. You thought you knew how it would be, but you couldn’t ever really know until you sat in the chair. No matter how much you thought, researched, and planned, you couldn’t get the real answers until you did it. I even had a client who was a dental assistant from the time she was 17. She loved dentistry and knew all the ins and outs. She followed her dreams and became a dentist, but when she experienced the new dynamics that come with being a dentist, she learned that it wasn’t for her.

Now the biggest mistake I see dentists make is that they want to get all the answers before trying any action.

It just doesn’t work that way, and they never shift. Besides, even if it did work, we can agree that’s how you chose dentistry, right? How’s that working out for you?

I get it. Action can be scary, and it was for me too. We often create beliefs about how action should be done that actually get in our way.

We think it will be irreversible. What if I regret my decision?

We worry that it won’t work. What if I look like a failure?

We create all these stories that only keep us spiraling in our heads.

For a long time, I thought my reasons were so important, but now I see that they were actually excuses. And that’s okay. It’s natural to want safety, and we’ll do anything to make sure we maintain that. But what if there is a safe way, and you’re not allowing yourself to even try?

One of my biggest lessons over the years is that the key to change is to make your actions safe. That means breaking your ideas into small steps that will get you the answers but won’t cost you a lot of time and money. 

If you knew that you could follow a path that wouldn’t cost a lot but would get you just a little more out of your head and into more clarity, would you do it?

Let’s get real. You’re the only one who has to know. What reasons, or ahem, excuses are you making to keep yourself safe in your known pain? What do you believe needs to be done and perfect before you even explore opportunities for yourself?

Staying in the excuses means you’re choosing your known misery over an unknown opportunity. Imagine the possibilities that are right around the corner if you just let yourself take that first step.

Ready to take that first, safe step? Join me in New Orleans, LA April 15-18th for the InSide Gig Summit. Click here to learn more.