well-being (noun)
- the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy
In general, well-being is a measure for both our personal and professional quality of life… and in its simplest form, well-being equates to self-care. When we self-care, we intentionally do things with our own well-being in mind – anything that promotes our own physical, emotional, or spiritual well-being. To that point, there are four pillars of welling:
- Physical: good health and enough energy to get things done each day
- Emotional/Social: ability to produce positive emotions, mood, thoughts, and feelings; adapt when confronted w/adversity or stressful situations; having supportive relationships and love in your life
- Professional: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals
- Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security
As you consider the order of these, they seem to make good sense. ..and why?
- We must be physically well above all else – healthy.
- We must be capable of finding joy, contentment, peace. A solid foundation of emotional health coupled with loving relationships allows us to handle the unexpected.
- We must find a profession that aligns with our interests, our passions…and there’s truth found in the old phrase “when you love what you do, you’ll never ‘work’ a day in your life”.
- We must manage our finances to increase security and reduce stress.
12 years ago, when I began working in corporate healthcare, the concept of well-being was introduced as a new measure to drive overall health and wellness. The objective was simple: focus on the whole individual, not just parts. Do not limit the definition of healthy to the absence of sickness. The theory being… organically, as people find the balance across the different areas of their life, their quality of life increases and health risks decrease, making it a win-win for both the insurer and the insured.
Ultimately, it made sense…and we witnessed many companies beyond healthcare take hold of the concept. As this shift occurred, and as a society, we began to focus more intently on holistic wellness, it seemed more relevant to focus on finding balance across the wellness pillars to be our best selves and live our best lives.
Advocating for wellbeing is a priority and will continue to be an editorial focus for The Profitable Dentist, with the goal to deliver relevant content across the four well-being pillars. We recognize the daily challenges of being a dentist, owner, and entrepreneur, and are committed to providing articles and features to support your personal and professional wellness. To that point, we believe connecting with other like-minded dentist-owners is key to feeling like part of a community, understanding shared struggles, and gaining inspiration and motivation.
“Outside the Op” is our newest feature to showcase dentist-owners who’ve discovered interests and passions outside of their practice that help them bring balance to the demands of solo practice ownership. We are excited to share these stories and encourage you to connect with them in ways meaningful to you. And if you are a dentist-owner with your own “outside the op” story to share with your colleagues, please reach out to me – I’d love to hear about your story and feature you!
In the meantime, take good care and enjoy reading our inaugural feature on San Diego dentist, Dr. Brian Davey!
