Dr. Don Deems, the Dentist's Coach - Free Newsletter: The Genius Within You

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The Genius Within You
January 19, 2006

I want to make this clear immediately: You have the answers.

As a child, I was taught to do what I was told, to speak only when spoken to. This probably wasn't too different than your own experience, which probably wasn't too different than your parents' experience growing up, or even their parents' experience. As a student, I was taught to listen and learn, then to regurgitate the answers at test time. As a devoted church-goer, I was taught to put all of my trust in someone other than myself, that the answers were not within me. As a dental student, I was humiliated into submission, reminded often that "monkeys could be trained to do this work". As a dentist, I am now flooded with teachers, gurus, mentors, and consultants who know the answers, if I am just willing to follow their advice.

It's time to stop the madness. It's time to break the habit. It's time to cut the chain.

As a coach, my job is to nudge out of you your own answers to your life's dreams, challenges, opportunities, and passions. And, I know you wouldn't be reading my newsletters if you didn't have that hunch already, if you hadn't found that I'm telling the truth, or if you found that I was just another person wanting you to do it "my way".

I talk with dentists daily who think that the "next course they take" will provide just the things they need to finally experience success in their practice. I'm told of thousands of dollars spent working with one consultant after another, to follow their recommendations, that instead, this is what will "put them over the top". If I just take another course . if I just buy this book . if I just .?

Are you willing to look inside yourself for your own answers? What assistance do you need? Would you find having someone committed to your success be inviting, nurturing, and supportive? Are you ready to take that journey, the hero's journey?

Within you is all the information you need to make the best decision for your life and your practice. It's time to trust yourself, your feelings, and all of the learning that you've accumulated throughout your lifetime.

Is there a place for more learning, or should one cut themselves off from the rest of the world? Surely I think you would agree that more information can be useful and helpful. But the distinction here is this: what information do you really need, and what information is relevant to you and your life? Only you know that answer.

Being coached is like someone shining a light on your own hero's journey, keeping your path brightly illuminated and on track, asking questions to help you clarify everything in your life that matters, occasionally providing information and insights, but most often asking you to access your own feelings and experiences, and to take forward action on what you really want. Coaching is not a "do it this way" solution, and it is certainly not a "quick fix approach". Just ask anyone who's being coached or has been coached. It's a totally different type of commitment than signing up for another consultant or another course.

If you want lasting results in your life, commit to that hero's journey, whether or not it's with the assistance of a coach. Understand that being coached can help you get there faster and more easily, whether you're being coached by a pro or a friend.

Take my challenge to trust your own heart, to trust your own judgment, intuition, and knowledge, and then take action on those things that matter most to you.

Your life will change immensely.

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