Girls (and Boys) Just Wanna Have Fun

Katherine Eitel

Power Thought: Katherine Eitel and Associates

If it's not enjoyable and fun... what's the point?

Picture your life as a measuring tape:  The left end represents the day you were born; the right, the day you "transition" from this life.  Now, mentally cut that tape at the spot that would represent today.  Many of you will notice, like me, that even if you hope to live to 100... the left hand side is longer than the right.  Sobering visual, right?

We have one life.  I'm determined to live mine being happy the vast majority of the time - as much as humanly possible.  I've concluded, like the other four steps:  it's always my choice to have fun.  Having fun for me means I must be enjoying what I'm doing, how I'm spending my time, and the people with whom I'm doing it.  There's a ton of research over the last 10 years which positively concludes how much smiling and laughter adds to our physical and emotional wellness and extends our life.

I'm writing this "Stretch" from the road on a Labor Day trip up to a friend's rustic mountain cabin near Lake Tahoe.  On the way, at 6:00 pm on a Thursday night, in the middle of nowhere - somewhere in the hot, dry, tree-less California desert - the engine on my car fried.  Burned up.  Toast.  8-10K and 3-weeks to fix it.  We rode 50 miles in a non-air-conditioned tow truck to the nearest town with a motel, repair shop and Avis Rent-a-Car with an adorable, shy, toothless driver.  Funny.  Of course, it means my plans to buy a new car after the first of the year have just been "moved up" but the best part was being with someone (and being someone myself now) that could immediately find the humor and the adventure, kept it all moving, and we're now in a cool rent car tooling through the mountains... singing to the XM radio, making jokes, kidding around, having fun.  A lot of fun.  What are my choices?  I can't do anything about what's happened but I can refuse to allow it to suck the fun out of my plans, out of my day today.

This is your life.  Right now.  Not tomorrow.  Not after the first of the year.  Right now.  If you're not having fun at work, at home, in the shower, in the car... stop it.  It's ALWAYS your choice to make whatever you're doing lighter, easier, and more fun.  So get crackin' on those silly jokes, tickle your kids, tease your lover, smile and laugh more at work.  Bring a funny video (we provided a couple just to get you going at the bottom of this stretch) to play at your huddle tomorrow and kickoff your day with some deep, tear-producing belly laughs, and just see how good you and your team feel and how much better your day is.

This is your only job this week:  Have a ball!  Have a blast!  Laugh your butt off!  You've got one shot at this.... And what a job!  :)

More About Katherine Eitel and Associates...

What if the Internet Goes Down?

"Orange" Paper Brief

Dental practices that utilize the cloud to manage their practice never worry about installing upgrades, backups, expensive servers and hardware, nor do they pay huge up-front software licensing fees. However, if the practice's Internet access is interrupted it can cause an inconvenience.

How often does the Internet really go down? While you may experience one or two disruptions annually your neighbor may not experience any at all. Remember that the Internet is a utility and subject to all the same hazards as your electrical, phone, water, and sewer connections. Fortunately, like any utility, when your Internet connection goes down trucks are rolling to fix the issue. In most areas Internet connectivity is just as or more reliable than the practice's electrical source. If you were to ask yourself "what do I do if the electricity goes down?" you may find peace of mind in knowing you have a generator or an uninterruptible power supply to cover short or erratic power supply. Similarly there are easy ways to back up your primary Internet access that will deliver the same confidence you have in your other utilities.

At least three options are immediately available to the practice to protect against an un-expected Internet service disruption:

1. Redundant Internet Service Providers. This is the most expensive option, but if done correctly can pretty much help you avoid interruptions entirely. You should consult with an experienced dental integrator if this option seems to be the best fit for your practice (click here to see a list of Curve Dental's True Orange partners, IT guys that know their stuff!).
2. Mobile-based Hotspots. This option is the most viable. You pay a monthly service fee that provides DSL-quality access using a small hardware device that creates a wireless connection.
3. Smartphone Tether. It works and will probably keep you connected to your schedule, but everything else will feel sluggish.

Certainly, the Internet, like any other utility, can be disrupted; however, in reality, in most areas of the country, practices can rely upon a dependable connection and not worry any more about their Internet connection than they do about their electrical connection.

It is of worth to note that this concern-what to do if the Internet goes down-is something every practice asks themselves when they switch to cloud-based computing. Most will say that after time they find their concerns were either without merit or greatly exaggerated.

What if the Internet goes down? The question is relevant, but upon further examination you may find that disruptions to the Internet in your practice may be small in number and easily planned for by using a readily available backup connection.

Read the entire "orange" paper and others by clicking here... 

Meetings: The Agenda for Success

Sally McKenzie

Power Thought: McKenzie Management 

Every staff meeting must have an agenda that includes standard items the practice is continuously monitoring. One person - not the doctor - is responsible for compiling and distributing the agenda. Post it where staff will see it and can add items as they come up during the month. Issues that present themselves regularly but require more involved discussion should be put on the monthly meeting agenda. List the most critical issues highest.

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