Dentists are notorious for being overachievers who undervalue their accomplishments. Despite the demanding work, intelligence, and dedication it takes to create a dental practice, too many dentists think that they are not enough. Yes, you read that correctly. Goal-driven professionals who have already accomplished so much, think that they don’t deserve their success.
Do You Believe That You Deserve Success?
It is time for dentistry to undergo a dramatic mind shift. It is time to realize that we all — each and every one of us — deserve a nice life! The nice part is defined by you, but the “deserve” part is a fact that you can no longer ignore if you want to find happiness. Deserve is not a negative word. Too often, people associate it with selfishness and entitlement. But what could possibly be selfish about wanting more time with your family? What about taking better care of your health? Is it selfish to want to retire while you’re still mentally and physically capable of enjoying it? Are you entitled if you want to remove the pressing weight of debt from your back?
When we think of our success and deserve level as a comfortable life, it starts to look a lot less entitled and a lot more meaningful, doesn’t it? What else can change when you view life through the lens of a healthy deserve level?
You Will Remove Self-Imposed Barriers to Success
You do not get the life you deserve. You get the life you think you deserve. If every dream you have ends with a disclaimer, it means that you don’t think you deserve your dreams. It’s time to change that! People with healthy deserve levels see victory first, then forge a path to get there. They see the summit of a towering mountain in the distance, and they know they deserve to stand on that peak. All that is left is the climb.
A healthy deserve level helps you stop focusing on the difficulties between yourself and the true possibilities that lie before you. If your goal is to grow your practice, you won’t feel the urge to immediately rattle off a litany of reasons why it’s impossible. That is a low-deserve mindset sabotaging you before you begin. Instead, you will have the confidence to visualize the results you wish to see and create a strategy to get there. If you want to grow your revenue, create a saleable practice, or retire early, you have to change your approach from defeatist to deserving.
You Will Have More Time for the Things that Matter
A healthy deserve level doesn’t have to equate to financial gain. Do you find yourself wondering if you’ll ever get to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor? Too many dentists turn themselves into automatons. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Repeat until retirement — if you can ever get there. Don’t you deserve to enjoy time with your family? You work hard to support them! Don’t you deserve a loving connection with your supportive spouse? What about self-care, like a good night’s sleep, a healthy exercise regimen, or just doing nothing at all?
When you achieve a healthy deserve level, you will master the ability to set boundaries that establish a true work-life balance. If you have found yourself in a perpetual rut, it’s because you don’t think you deserve to break out of your grind. Something inside you is driving you to think you must continuously earn success you have already achieved.
You deserve time with your children, and they deserve your time, too. You love your spouse and deserve to be present in your relationship. You need that time at the gym to reset and keep your body healthy. You need downtime to let your mind rest and reset. Give yourself the gift of peace by recognizing you deserve love, lasting relationships, and time to care for your mind and body.
You Will Have the Confidence to Accept Your Wins
Imagine if the winner of the Boston Marathon just kept running long after they finished the 26.2 miles required to win the race. They bypassed the medal podium, the post-race snack table, and the press, and just pushed and pushed until they collapsed. You’d think that person was absurd, right? Yet that is what people with a low HDL do to themselves every day. They are still running miles past the finish line because they think they are not worthy of the rewards they have worked so hard to earn.
There’s a popular sports adage that says, “You earn your trophies in practice. You pick them up at competition.” The underlying concept is that the reward is inevitable if the work is put in. What if you applied that healthy framework to your personal and professional life? What if you stopped running once your goal was achieved and savored your victory? A healthy deserve level gives you the confidence to recognize when you have accomplished what you set out to do. It establishes a champion’s mindset: I worked hard for this. I deserve this win.
You are worthy of your success.
You deserve accolades and rewards for demanding work. You deserve to enjoy a nice life, however you define that to be. At NextLevel, we don’t just help you transform your practice. We help you transform your mindset so you can get out of your own way.
Want to learn more about building a Healthy Deserve Level? Request a free copy of Gary Kadi’s book Raise Your Healthy Deserve Level today!
