Most of us had a very specific plan to get us where we are today. To achieve the goal of becoming a dentist, you have to follow a certain path.
For me, becoming a dentist was always the goal. While other kindergarteners drew pictures of astronauts and teachers on their “what I want to be when I grow up” projects, mine was always a dentist.
I knew what I had to do to get into dental school, be successful in dental school, and what I wanted from a residency program. My path was set until July of 2023 if everything went according to plan. Thankfully, it did!
When residency graduation came along, I felt a huge relief on accomplishing everything I had set out to, but the question and uncertainty of “now what?” started to set in.
Read More: How Residency Can Lead You Toward Your Self-Determined Future
My Parents; My Influences
I can’t say that becoming a dentist was entirely my own decision. I was very likely influenced by my mother, a dental hygienist, and my father, who emphasized the importance of formal education, and the ideas of society that made a career in dentistry seem attractive.
No decision we make can be completely free from outside influence or bias from those around us and my decision to pursue dentistry was no different.
Life After Graduating Dental School
After achieving my goal of being a highly trained dental graduate and finding my associateship, it became time to truly focus on what my husband and I wanted our lives to look like.
Dentistry is an incredible career because there are many ways to structure your practice to fit the life you want for yourself. However, in order to build a life that is true to your values and aligns with the vision you have for yourself, you have to know what your values and vision are.
Read More: Life After Graduation
Know Your Values and Vision
Life is what you make it and many people wander around with no aim and no clear picture of how they want to spend it. With no clear vision, it is easy to find yourself influenced by those around you and easily moving on a path you didn’t create for yourself.
Each of us has unique goals, passions, and dreams and our lifestyle, practice models, and business strategies should reflect that. You deserve to live a life that is as unique as your fingerprint.
When you’re ready to find the path toward YOUR life, IGNITEDDS is here to help you find your self-determined future.
Together We Rise!
Read More: Not Bringing Work Home with You
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