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There’s nothing worse than looking at potential gone wasted.

Have you ever seen it?

Someone with opportunity who has let that opportunity pass.

Do you know someone? Someone who has not progressed as they should have? Someone who seems to be marking time?

For many years I had a print hanging on my office wall:

“You’ll Always Miss 100% of the Shots You Never Take”

I believe it may be a variation on a quote from US Hockey great Wayne Gretzky.

And it has been my mantra.

In life.

And in business.

You see, I was fortunate enough to benefit from the Real Estate Boom of 1987 in Sydney.

In September ’87, a friend came to me and said that he was thinking of buying a unit to live in, and had been looking around.

Me? Well I had just begun my Dental Practice ownership, and had borrowed significantly for that purchase.

But I did have cash flow…..

Anyway, long story short, by chance, two weeks later, I had walked past a real estate window and with time up my sleeve one afternoon, went off to inspect two units.

I bought the second one of those two.

On that day.

And lived in it for twelve months….

And sold it at the height of the bubble for 85% profit twelve months later.

My friend, who made the suggestion?

He never bought.

He did not enter the market.

And he later regretted, saying that even though he did not purchase when I did, he still would have benefitted had he bought something, some months after my purchase.

Now I’m not telling this story to boast. I’m only telling it to show, or demonstrate, that one opportunity taken, can change your destiny.

I feel that maybe that purchase became the catalyst for me to take more risks, more calculated risks, that later came across my desk.

And maybe “risks” is the right word, or maybe the word “opportunity” might be a better word to use.

“Opportunity knocks”.

We know it.

And when it does come knocking, you’d better be ready to take it.

Like I said, it is so disappointing to see people who have not taken action when the opportunity has presented itself.

People who have failed to pick up the ball and run with it.

And they’ve been left behind…

And sometimes, often times, it’s not even opportunity that presents.

Sometimes it’s like a no brainer.

And yet they still do not act.

Like my friend…

In marketing, in advertising, in telling the world about your great business, there is opportunity.

Opportunity to tell the world how good your service is, and why the world, the people, should choose you, choose your product, choose your business.

Ahead of any other.

And to do that we may have to invest in an ad.

Or a medium.

Before it pays.

Or before it pays well.

And that can be risky.

So we don’t.

Don’t do anything…..

And the world just seems to pass us by…

Now there’s a whole other topic to explore in future blogs… About advertising. And why. And why you should. And whether you should.

But truth be told, I’ve seen too many great dentists *NOT* be successful in business, with their practices, because they failed to tell the world how good they really were, and the world passed them by.

And that’s sad.

The rewards from taking calculated risk, measured risk, are very gratifying.

And there are enough rewards out there for everyone..

What if Columbus had never sailed?

What if Armstrong had never gone to the moon?

What if you’d never bought that property?

Or run that advert?

Or taken that course of action?

And what if you had?

Would your life be different?

Would your life be better….

The two words go hand in hand, don’t they?

“Risk? ….. And Reward”…..

“Carpe Diem.” …. Seize the day….

Or as Robin Williams said:

“Carpe Dentum. Seize the teeth” …..

Last night, at a small dinner meeting, we masterminded.

And the final question we were all asked was:

“What is the *ONE* thing you have done recently that has had the biggest impact on your life?”

This is a great question, and we heard some great answers.

And a much better question than:

“What’s your biggest regret? What opportunity do you wish you’d taken, but didn’t?”

The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple easy to implement system that I developed that allowed me to build an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb.  If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.

Email me: david@theUPE.com

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