For the Independent Dentist-Confidence is far more than clinical skills.

Often for the independent dentist, the issue of confidence comes up.

Without confidence, nothing works.  It is one of the most critical emotions to nurture and project yet so undervalued in the profession much to the average dentists detriment.

Confidence comes from a lot of things….all a bit different for each of us.  I keep a list of 10 things that make me feel confident and protect those things.

To name a few things that most people have in common that creates a more confident daily outlook on life and work includes and which can be applied by the independent dentist:  constant self-improvement (both personally and professionally), surrounding yourself with authentic and positive people (fire the negative ones which includes family), and challenging your perceptions of reality.

INDEPENDENT DENTISTS doing the best avoid being fixated on what other dentists are doing or say they are doing.  WHO CARES?

CE junkies that listen to the chatter at the courses, trade journal junkies that buy into the hype, and any who are focused too much on the competition versus their practice are blowing holes in their confidence.

Here’s what King Solomon (or the spirit of his myth) would ask regarding whether an activity is a positive one for confidence or negative:

How does it make you feel?

Do you feel empowered? Does the type of empowerment brought create progress toward your goals?

Or does activity make you feel “smaller,” overwhelmed, confused, or envious?

I’ve found that those things outside my direct control, deserve the least amount of attention because focusing on those things simply brings the confidence-o-meter down.

When I spend my time focused, thinking, doing, and EFFICIENT…..I’m on top of the world.

And…..the end result…..I’ve never been a commodity.

Our independent dentist member’s find that ethical selling training and actual ads to help find cases is certainly a part of improving their confidence.

Is it time for you to take a confidence improving journey? You could start by checking out my top selling book. Volume 3 available at Amazon.com or Volume 2 available for a discount at our website.