Revisiting my Goals

Since I have been in such a reflective and peaceful frame of mind lately, I thought that I would revisit my Goals for 2015 and see how I have done and what needs to be done for the rest of the year.

Written originally over the New Year's holiday this is what I  set out, and how I have done SO FAR

"Family

• Take a proper holiday with Steve and my children, Florida preferably  - TICK
• Visit New Zealand at Christmas UNLIKELY NOW
• Holiday with Steve- TICK
• Continue to spend quality time with kids TICK

Relationships

• Life with Steve to grow and thrive TICK
• Move closer together or indeed be together DEFINETLY HAPPENING BUT LIKELY NEXT YEAR
• Finalise an amicable divorce and maintain a healthy relationship with Katie TICK

Career

• Complete the transformation of the structure of the practice TICK
• Work towards a bigger and better future for Beacon TICK
• Work hard in my BACD role TICK

Money

• Be Debt free by the end of the year NO CHANCE BUT PLAN IN HAND- MUST TRY HARDER
• Start to save properly - MUST TRY HARDER

Education

• Increase my Orthodontic and Implant Skills  SEMI TICK- WORK IN PROGRESS
• Start Facial Aesthetics training FAIL- NEXT YEAR
• Reduce Golf Handicap to 20 FAIL- TENDONITIS PUTTING PAY TO GOLF FOR NOW

Physical

• Weigh no more than 88kg on 31 December (currently 91.3) SEMI TICK (CURRENTLY 88.3)
• Complete a triathlon IN TRAINING FOR SEPTEMBER
• Climb a big mountain for Dental Mavericks FAIL
• Get my health problems sorted out once and for all WORK IN PROGRESS
• Cycle more TICK
• Have a more regular gym routine DOUBLE  TICK

Also

I shall repay my Parents FAIL, BUT PLAN IN HAND

Visit Morocco with Dental Mavericks FAIL

I shall make a concerted attempt at being Gluten free TICK

I shall sleep more and drink more water HMM

I will reconnect with my oldest friends Richard and Kate, Naomi, Nick and Marion, Paul and Sandra, Susan, Fi, Claire and Guy- going to be busy" NOT YET- (KICKS SELF)

So- New Goals for rest of 2015

Family

• Make a plan to visit  family in New Zealand this year or next
• Maximise Family time
• Plan holidays for next year

Relationships

• Plan for renovating Steve's new house and moving in together
• Plan time away for Christmas period
• Reconnect with old friends

Career and Education

• Facial Aesthetics training
• Continue Orthodontic Journey
• Full steam ahead with BACD Membership Director role
• Adapt fully to life as an associate

Money

• Proper household budget and plan to eliminate personal debt by end 2018
• Save properly
• Start repaying my parents and stick to the plan

Physical

• Weigh less than 87kg and less than 16% body fat by 31 December this year ( currently 88.3 and 19%)
• Compete in my first triathlon
• Continue swimming and running for fitness
• Continue gym routine
• Get a diagnosis for my health problems and get them fixed!!!
• Sleep more and drink less alcohol

Positivity, Materialism and Happiness

This post was prompted by a series of conversations that I had earlier in the year at The Dentistry Show and BDA Conference.

 I met a lady for the first time in the bar at the Crowne Plaza (where all good conversations begin!), She is not a dentist but is very well known in the Dental world, and she was a bit drunk!

This lady was sitting with some other well known  non dentist dental types (!), who were friends of mine and the conversation was getting very heated, as I joined them

"All dentists care about is money"

"Fast cars, big houses, expensive holidays"

"Bloody dentists, , always talking about money and cars" etc etc, you get the picture.

So of course I jump in with my 50p's worth,  (not having a fast car, big house or much money for holidays), and by the end of the conversation I had convinced my new friend that most dentists are not at all money driven , greedy, materialistic bastards, and are actually quite nice people, with goals and aspirations that are not related to money and worldly possessions at all

This got me thinking. Why is it that the general public think this? Even non dental professionals within the greater Dental world think this, so there must be some truth in it surely?

When I think back to my schooldays, I remember that the main reasons that I applied to do Dentistry,centered around money and possessions. I had noticed that my own dentist who had inspired and encouraged me, had a new red sports car, a new beautiful blond wife and had built himself a big house! That will do for me I thought. (I have subsequently had and lost all of those things, but more of that later!)

Throughout my dental training and in my early years as an associate , it seemed that everyone within our profession was earning mega bucks (always more than I was, of course), and they all had fast cars and big houses, so that is what I aspired to even more. More hours, more fees = more money and infinite happiness, right?

Well, maybe for some but maybe not. Don't get me wrong I have many friends in Dentistry who earn a lot of money and have the possessions that go with it, and they are to the best of my knowledge very happy indeed. However I was not, not at all.

It took several years to see the light and work out how to simplify my life. I had help and inspiration from Chris Barrow, Tom Orent, Paddi Lund, Tony Gedge, Harris Sidelsky, Steven Covey and others. Eventually I saw the light and realised that to find happiness in work and home life I needed to stop chasing fees, and stop aspiring to be someone else.

I would encourage anyone to seek out those gentlemen I have listed, and LISTEN to them!

The big moment, my entrepreneurial lighting bolt moment  if you will, came in October 2006 (1030 on 16th October to be precise). I was attending a day course given by the American dentist Tom Orent. His story resonated so much with my own, and reflected so many of the ideas that Paddi Lund talked about- suddenly it all came together in my head. From that moment on I would think very differently.

What happened over the next few years is the subject of an upcoming blog, but suffice to say my priorities changed, and I started to think about working as a dentist in order to be happy and create happiness in my team and patients, rather than to make lots of money.

There are so many others that have reinforced those ideas-  Mark Oborn, Kevin Rose and Rob Whittaker especially spring to mind. I was lucky to spend some time with all 3, learning about the power of Neuro Linguistic Programming and how much a positive outlook can affect your general mental well being and happiness.

I am 46 years old, and I look back to a time 10 years ago, when I had plenty of possessions and money, but it was a fragile façade, and I was not happy. Not happy with my work, my marriage or my life. I attempted suicide at least twice before I pulled myself out of it, with the help of my friends including those that I have mentioned above. That and my own brand of stubborn bloodymindedness

Right now, I have little net worth, hardly any assets and I am an associate in the business I created, and recently sold (future blog!)
I can honestly say that I am as happy and fulfilled as at any time in my life.
I love my work, I love working with local and international charities and local community groups and I am in a happy and fulfilled relationship.

Simplifying my life so dramatically over the last few years has created a very real calm happiness.

I would encourage anyone reading this, who is questioning themselves or their purpose:

• Read more
• Learn from Masters
• Be Positive and Proactive in everything that you do
• Be yourself, always
• Listen more
• Educate yourself, not just with clinical stuff
• Surround yourself with positive people
• Keep life simple

Above all- If something is wrong - CHANGE IT. If you are tolerating negative stuff- STOP IT

Be Happy

Until next time...

Dx

Challenges and other things

First post for a while- sorry, life has been very busy. Amongst other things I have got divorced (amicably) and sold my practice. My life is now wonderfully simple and I can focus on other things- more in my next post!

Those of you who know me have probably got used to my seemingly never ending stream of ridiculous challenges and fundraising activities. This year I decided that my comfort zone needed expanding again, and I have done enough bike challenges that they don't seem to be enough of a challenge ( Last years End to End has seen to that!). So what to do?

Well obviously since I don't swim well, and don't run well and I have done neither "seriously" for 25 years+ , I should do a Triathlon! It has always been something on my bucket list, but I have managed to find excuses for years. Well no more excuses.

Warwickshire Sprint Triathlon in September - 400m swim, 23km cycle, 5km run= EASY! Well the cycle will be easy, but 400m is futher than I have swam IN TOTAL in 25 years, and I have not run further than the length of a squash court since I was student ( and not much then). So it is a big challenge.

To add spice to the mix, my business partner Karen Sutton is also doing it and it has become a contest between us ( we are both a tiny bit competitive!).

Of course there needs to be a fundraising element to it, which involves the two charities closest to our respective hearts:

• Dental Mavericks for me (www.dentalmavericks.org), helping to provide dental care for the Berber children of Morocco .
• Community Action Malvern for Karen,which helps various voluntary groups in the Malvern area

Today marks 50 days to go, and I am still a long way from being able to swim 400m, but closer to my running goals. The training goes on ( including swimming coaching from my kids, who have taken pity on my woeful technique) and I know that I will get there, and I know this will be an amazing experience.

If you are able to help with a small donation, that would be awesome.

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DAVIDWATSON18

Thanks for reading. Until next time....

Dx