Live your life, not someone else’s.

Live your life, not someone else’s.

As I swim my 64  lengths, I could choose to focus on the other swimmers, some who are faster, some slower than me, some do intensive short bursts others long endurance. All the while I look at others, comparing myself, there is a voice that constantly tells me how I am not good enough, not fast enough, too fat too old etc etc. My inner voice when left to its own devices will say nothing encouraging or that will help me improve my swimming. I have learnt that focusing on the others is a fool’s game and is akin to self-flagellation with a cat o nine tails, does nothing to support me. I have learnt to focus on my swim and not to think about others. Their swim is their swim, my swim is my swim.

 I choose to use a kaizen approach, focusing on making each stroke the best it can be in the moment. The strategy has worked and within 4 weeks of returning to the pool after many years I have moved up to the medium lane.

As I was reflecting on this, I thought how similar it is to dentistry and dental practice. You can choose to constantly compare yourself to others on Facebook and Instagram, using their images as a weapon to beat yourself. Many have done this to such an extent they are afraid of dentistry, others have considered leaving the profession. Alternatively, you can choose to take your personal kaizen path, looking only at your photos, reflecting on your interactions with patients and colleagues, identifying each tiny opportunity to improve, so that in each moment you are the best version of yourself. Each better will compound and you will see the improvements you have made, without emotional self-flagellation. You learning journey is your learning journey, and that is the only one you need to focus on.

Will you choose to only focus on your learning journey?

Will you choose to use kaizen and take constant small incremental improvements?

You are the artist of your life, don’t give anyone else the brush.