Isn’t this an amazing black and white photograph? Well, it’s not a photograph, it’s a pencil drawing by a self-taught Irish 16 year-old, Shania McDonagh. Clearly, some of us are able to excel in the areas of our strengths well beyond what others could ever even imagine. I can tell you a similar story about …
In the beginning, it was exciting, and the opportunities seemed endless. The chance to join the dental profession by starting dental school had finally arrived. Years of thinking, observing, planning, studying, applying and competing, had led me through the doors on North University Avenue in Ann Arbor. And like my father, and his brother before …
Problems – we all face them, with some being frivolous, and others potentially life-changing. Some cause us to tap into our greatest creative problem-solving potential, while others produce nothing but stress and wheel-spinning. Regardless, we think about them. We think about what to do, and what not to do. But how often do we think …
How You Think is More Important Than What you Think Read More »
Neuroscience tells us that every time we resist reacting with anger, we are reorganizing how our brain functions, which then allows us to remain calm, more perceptive, and therefore more caring. This is because the source of our anger is often emanating from how we feel about ourselves at the moment, much more so than …
Neuroscience research tells us that demonstrating gratitude, and feeling grateful, aren’t just socially appropriate – they’re good for our health. Gratitude not only gives us that warm peaceful feeling inside, it also boosts our immune system, naturally relieves stress, improves our sleep, relieves depression, reduces our pain perception, and energizes us to keep contributing – …
Our capacity for love and friendship is what sets us apart from all other species on this planet. Recently, researchers at the University of Virginia found that we humans are hardwired to empathize primarily with those we consider to be similar to ourselves, and that it happens on a neurobiological level. “Empathy,” became possible due …
I have a question for you: Are you happy practicing dentistry? If not, what would you be willing to do to change that situation? Take more courses? Learn more skills and integrate more techniques? Upgrade your facility? Make some staffing changes? Move? And what would you be willing to give up to make those changes …
As dental professionals, the reason we are where we are in life is because we are highly driven individuals. Consequently, we tend to be overachievers relative to others, and we are often willing to allow our lives to get significantly out of balance in order to get everything accomplished. Following our dreams and creating our …
We are all incapable of predicting what will make us happy, and that is because happiness is a feeling, and not an outcome. This truth creates quite a conundrum, as we are all constantly encouraged to “create a vision for the future, that if created, it will lead us to a happier life.” But the …
You Only Have One Life To Live, So Make it Your Own Read More »
Does living a meaningful life lead to a life which is longer, healthier, and happier? You bet. Accumulating evidence suggests that a global sense of meaning in life is related to physical health, including increased longevity and reduced morbidity. Psychologists and philosophers have long been interested in the human experience of meaning …
What Does it Take to Create a Happier, and More Meaningful Life? Read More »
