In life and in your dental practice, do you want people to tell you what is right or do you desire to hear what makes you feel good?

Shark Tank a couple of years ago had a pitch on a product called Skinny Mirrors. This product showed your reflection distorted to make you look skinnier than what reality really was. The purveyor of this mirror held close to what people really want.

Is this reality? Do people really want to be seen differently to what and who they really are? Do you desire an illusion for yourself? How far and long will that last for you? The deeper question, why do you want to be seen differently? Is it better to 'fit in' or is it better to be who you are, accepting your uniqueness?

So often we desire outcomes that may sound amazing yet when it comes to the action of the outcome, we fall short. We put ourselves in front of the skinny mirrors to make ourselves believe we are someone we are not.

When you look in the mirror, what you see depends on the mirror. The challenge in life is so often we want to surround ourselves with cheerleaders that tell us how amazing we are verses surrounding ourselves with people who will be honest and tell us who we really are. And more importantly, show us a path to growth, improvement and success!

When we look in the mirrors of our practice, what do we see? Do we tell patients what will make them feel good, or do we tell them the bold honest truth? Do we smoke the mirror by padding reality? Do we judge their treatment on outside sources, for example, insurance coverage?

When an employee is out of line, do we act like that cheerleader and ignore the circumstance? Or, do we address the challenge as it occurs and kibosh it? The latter creates respect fast yet how many of us are willing to be boldly honest and act quickly?

Do you use skinny mirrors? What do they reflect?

WATCH THE SHOW NOW!