Bite-sized dental wisdom in under 2 minutes.

One thing no one really tells you about ownership is that every win comes with a punch in the face.

You finally get your team in place. Every role is filled. People are doing what they’re supposed to do. The office feels calm for 24 hours, so naturally you decide it’s time to take a team photo.

And then someone quits.

Of course they do.

Or you hit your highest production month and think, wow, maybe all of this work is finally paying off.

And then your phone lights up with your first one-star review.

Or you’re excited to bring something new into the office, sharpen your skills, improve the patient experience, do all the things owners are supposedly trying to do…

and then you get a letter from the state because a former employee is filing for unemployment.

The timing is unbelievable.

And it’s really easy to start taking it personally.

Maybe I’m not cut out for this.
Maybe I screwed something up.
Maybe this is a sign.
Maybe I jinxed it by being happy for 14 seconds.

And while becoming cynical is probably the easiest way to cope (or drinking), I don’t think that’s the answer.

I think the answer is getting better at the rebound.

You build a thicker skin.
You stop spiraling quite as hard.
You recover faster.
You get better at laughing because honestly, what else are you going to do?

The skill becomes the ability to take the hit, get mad, maybe cry in a corner for a minute, text your spouse that you’re done, and then get up and keep going.

Because if you do this long enough, you realize something helpful:

You’ve already lived through a bunch of these crashes before. And guess what? You handled it. And eventually it became one more story you tell later.

The lows will continue to still happen. They just stop feeling like the end.

So yes, ownership can definitely feel like you accidentally walked onto an episode of The Bear.

But the longer you do it, the more you realize one bad day doesn’t mean the whole thing is falling apart.

-Dr. Alex

P.S. Ownership is basically: “I love this feeling” immediately followed by “I hate this feeling.” Repeated forever.

P.P.S The Milo waitlist closes tonight at midnight. If your name’s on it, you’ll get first access and 50% off Milo Plus for 3 months. Invites are coming soon.