Why do you do what you do?

The end of the year is about more than eating our weight in holiday cookies, decking the halls, and dashing through the snow. It's a good time to reflect on what we are grateful for and to count our blessings before moving into the new year.

Samuel Clemens (you might better know him as Mark Twain) said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."

Jay Geier is the president and founder of the Scheduling Institute.

Today, I'd like the chance to express how grateful and incredibly humbled I am for the opportunity to do what I do every day. Like many people, I don't say it enough. It is the reason I am excited to wake up in the morning. It is, inarguably, the answer to the question why.

To give you a bit of history -- I discovered my passion for working with doctors more than 20 years ago, which is crazy when I think about it. It still feels like yesterday. My business started out in a cramped, dim basement. We had three team members -- and back then, even three was a crowd. I remember we were bumping elbows as we walked around, but I was so excited to get started that I didn't care.

At the time, I had no idea the multitude and magnitude of ways that this experience would change our lives. I've watched clients rise from depression and debt to the peak of success. I've seen clients who were about to shut their doors take one chance that turned their practice into a million-dollar one. I've seen more tears of joy than I can count. I've gotten the call that a client has passed away, and I've watched as his team drew closer together than ever before.

Why I do what I do is simple. It's about so much more than helping doctors to make more money. That's the easy part. It's about improving their home life. It's about giving them more time with their kids and grandkids. It's about helping them to become allies with their husband or wife, and teaching them to make financial decisions that will provide for their family after they are gone. And without a doubt, it is about showing them how to leave a substantial, tangible legacy of impact behind.

Since that first day, my team and I have dedicated ourselves to lives of impact. We have crossed unbelievable milestones together, and there's no way we could have done it without our incredible doctors and teams.

Whether or not I know you personally, I think we get each other. After all, you went into this business to help people. As a student, you wanted to have a job that would make a difference. You could have been an accountant, a programmer, or a hundred other things -- all respectable jobs -- but that wasn't for you. What you wanted was to brighten smiles. To give back confidence. To serve every single person that walked into your office. You wanted a chance to do something meaningful and to give it everything you've got.

So let me ask you something. How are you translating this vision into a reality? We've all got limited years on this earth, and -- as morbid as it sounds -- we could go at any time. We don't get to choose. So, take a look at what you've done. Who have you impacted? Have you invested in training your team to expand their professional opportunities? Have you invested time, energy, and money in your community? Have you invested in providing your patients with the best possible experience? Have you successfully convinced your family that they are the single most important thing in your life?

If you've been successful in these things, I want to congratulate you. Don't ever stop growing. Don't let your incredible passion for service get buried under a mountain of stress and daily chores. This is your foundation -- your cornerstone.

If you haven't accomplished your vision, or you have lost direction -- don't give up now. Think about what steps you need to take to get back on the right track. If you want to change lives, this is your reason why. Now all you need is your how.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Jay Geier is the founder and owner of the Scheduling Institute, a dental training and practice consulting company. Visit www.5starchallenge.com to find out how to transform your practice.

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