Veros Dental

This is the time of year I usually write a few articles and entries about goal setting, budgeting, and planning for your dental practice in the next year.  While it’s definitely important and I’ll probably still come up with something to encourage you to do this, that’s not my angle today.  Instead, I’d like to encourage you to spend some time in the coming weeks setting some personal goals for 2012.  Most people probably don’t take the time to do this, but I find it very effective.

The down time that some of us get around the holidays is a great time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished personally for the year and contemplate what you want to accomplish in the next year.  I usually make a list of 20 – 30 things I want to happen in the next year.  For instance, a few on my list last year included making a batch of beer myself (something I had never done before), taking my son to at least three major league baseball games, and reading 25 books.  At last check, I had accomplished over 80% of the goals I had set a year ago.

I made a list of a lot of books I wanted to read and planned out how much time I had per book in order to stay on course.  So once you have your list made, put yourself in position to accomplish them.  For example, if one of your goals is to take an extra week of vacation next year, go ahead and block it out on the office calendar and on your own personal calendar now.  Revisit your list once a month and cross off those items which you’ve accomplished.  It’s very uplifting to assess what you’ve accomplished, rather than always looking ahead to what you haven’t yet done.

Be bold in your goal setting.  Use it to create a path to accomplish those things you’ve been meaning to get around to doing.  As you think of new things throughout the year, keep a list of goals for the following year or add to your lifetime list (you have a bucket list, right?)!  You’ll be so pleased with your progress as you reflect on your accomplishments at this time next year.