A doctor was struggling with the realities of life.
Having a family and a busy dental practice, he was feeling overwhelmed by the opposing demands of both. For the past several years, he has been experiencing a feeling that his life was spiraling out of control and that he no longer dictated the trajectory. Somehow, he had lost the sense of joy that he once experienced with his profession. He was becoming cynical and felt a sense of disillusionment. He found himself thinking, “This is not what I expected.”
He began to regret his decision to become a dentist and, even worse, he felt trapped and unable take another path due to his significant financial obligations and professional responsibilities. As his cynicism increased, he realized that it was negatively affecting his family and the quality of his relationship with his wife and children.
One day, a friend told the doctor of a wise old sage that could help him find the answers he was seeking. The doctor immediately went to see this wise sage to seek his counsel. He emotionally shared his story of regret, disillusionment, and disempowerment with the sage. Finally, he asked the sage for help.
The wise man asked the struggling doctor, What would it be worth to you if somehow you…
- had more time to spend on family and what really matters to you?
- found more pleasure in your professional endeavors?
- were able to greatly reduce and manage stress better?
- could be more profitable while working less?
- had guidelines that enabled you to always make “your” best possible decision?
- began to see and experience possibilities that you never thought existed?
- could stop struggling and begin flourishing both personally and professionally?
Without hesitation, the doctor replied, “Having all of this would be priceless. Is it even possible?” – to which the sage confidently replied “Yes.”
“Teach me please,” asked the doctor.
“I can’t,” replied the sage.
“Then tell where I must go to find the answers I seek,” said the doctor.
“The place is very close, yet hard to reach,” was the sage’s reply.
“Tell me where to go please. I will go anywhere to find the answers,” The doctor pleaded.
The wise sage gave the following response:
“The place you must go is deep within you. The answers you seek have always been there, awaiting your discovery. These answers that reside within you have been hidden from your consciousness by barriers that you alone have created. Barriers such as living through other’s expectations, blind spots, and self-limiting beliefs, have prevented you from finding the true wisdom you possess. I cannot teach you this wisdom. I can only show you the way that leads to its discovery. If you are willing to uncover the truth within you, we can begin our journey.”
The moral of the story is that we are, by nature, creative, resourceful, and whole beings with the capacity to solve even the most daunting problems and create new and expansive possibilities for ourselves. We have within us an enormous depth of wisdom that remains untapped because we seldom take the time or make the effort to remove self-imposed barriers that prevent us from tapping into this vast personal resource. I know this because the story above is my story. Through the guidance of a wise sages (aka…coaches), I was able to tap into my hidden resources and it changed my life for the better.
Do yourself a favor. If you find yourself seeking solutions for your life’s issues, don’t go elsewhere for the answers. No one can find the perfect solution for someone else’s problems. Your best answers reside within you alone. Work with a coach to find “your” answers and tap into the wisdom you possess.
If you are interested in finding out more about how coaching and, in particular, dental coaching, can help you change your life, please book a no obligation coaching call with me.
Dr. Joel Small and Dr. Edwin McDonald, the founders of Line of Sight Coaching, are dental practitioners, authors, speakers and Business Leadership Coaches who work with healthcare professionals to help them build more successful practices so they can live the balanced life they seek.
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