Bite-sized dental wisdom in under 2 minutes.

I do not consider myself a book person.

So when I actually sit down to read a book, or more accurately listen to an audiobook, it’s usually because someone recommended something about leadership or business and I convinced myself it counts as professional development.

But I do have one exception.

Celebrity memoirs.

If a celebrity writes their own memoir and narrates the audiobook themselves, I’m usually in.

So when Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights came out back in 2020, I listened.

And I loved the idea.

Green lights.

Those moments where something opens up. The timing works. The door cracks open. Something that could have gone one way goes another way, and later you realize, oh, that was the thing.

That was the green light.

The irritating part is that green lights do not usually announce themselves.

They do not show up with a sign that says, “Important moment happening right now.”

They usually just look like a normal decision.

You go to the event.

Send the email.

Take the meeting.

Walk up to the person.

Sit at the table.

Which brings me to last weekend.

I went to the Dykema conference to talk to people about Milo.

Dykema is a yearly DSO conference, and because of our schedules, I had to go alone.

No Eric.

No wingman.

And that sucks because Eric is the type of person who can walk into a room, talk to anyone, and somehow leave with three new best friends and a secret handshake.

But this time, it was just me.

And the day was going fine. I was meeting people, networking, pitching Milo, doing the thing.

Then lunch happened.

Which means I was immediately transported back to middle school, standing at the cafeteria door, trying to figure out where to sit without looking like I was trying to figure out where to sit.

My first instinct was to find a table alone, open my laptop, and look busy.

Classic Alex.

But then I reminded myself that I am a grown-up and I can sit next to someone I do not know.

So I looked around and found a table half in the shade.

There was an older man in a blue Hawaiian shirt sitting there alone.

I walked over, introduced myself, and asked if I could sit down.

And then he introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Gary.”

Then it clicked.

Holy shit. Gary Takacs. Gary freaking Takacs.

If you are in dentistry, you know.

Gary is one of the most well-known podcasters in the dental world. I listened to his podcast for years when I was driving back and forth to my first practice, trying to figure out how to own a dental office without completely losing my mind.

And now I was sitting next to him at lunch.

Because I picked the shaded table.

We ended up having an amazing conversation. He introduced me to another friend, and I got invited to be a guest on his podcast.

And looking back, that was the green light.

Because sometimes the thing that opens the door is not some big dramatic move.

It is the small uncomfortable decision you almost talked yourself out of.

The green light was there.

But I still had to sit down.

-Dr. Alex

P.S. Sometimes the green light is just trying something you have been putting off.

If you have been meaning to get your practice systems out of your head and into something your team can actually use, Milo is a good place to start.