Love & Orthodontics
  • Love & Orthodontics
  • Online Courses
  • Enroll
  • Love & Ortho Blog
  • Love & Orthodontics
  • Online Courses
  • Enroll
  • Love & Ortho Blog

Design Your Life, part I

12/8/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
As a young teenager, I decided I wanted to be a doctor. So, I volunteered as a "candystriper" at the local hospital. Here I am, standing near the middle of this photo, holding the flowers. 
A great resource on how to design your perfect life is Dr. Chris Baker's book, "REAL." 
Picture
Quite a lot has happened since my candystriper days. Here I'm getting ready to enjoy breakfast at Etihad Airways' beautiful lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). 
When you were a teenager, and probably even when you were younger than that, you had conscious ideas (thoughts) of what you wanted your life to be. 

I have heard my children say, “When I have a house it will be…”  and, “In college, I will major in…”,  and “I will travel to…”


When my five siblings and I were little, we would build “houses” with our big wooden toy blocks that my mother had cut at the lumber yard, and then sanded smooth. 

Our toy block “houses” were a bit like architectural plans, with room upon room laid out on the floor. We would move “ourselves” (clothespin people) through the house, winding about from the kitchen to the many other rooms we had built. 

We were designing our lives. In our thoughts and dreams, we were imagining what we wanted our lives to be. 

Then, as a young teenager, I decided I would be a doctor. That decision led me to work at the local hospital where I volunteered as a Candystriper. I began to live my dream of working in a medical setting. 

As time went by, I decided on nursing school.  It seemed at the time to be more “do-able” than medical school.   

A few years went by. As a young adult, I was still designing my life. As I practiced as a critical care RN, and with a young son, I finally planned and executed my dream of being a doctor. I decided to be a pediatric dentist. 

And you know what? It took those plans to design my life of today - a joyous, grateful mom, wife, pediatric dentist and orthodontist.  


As we live the life that often “seems to happen” to us, we are often unaware that we designed it. It’s easy to get stuck in the “living” of the life. Yet, in doing that, we are designing our life of our future, by our thoughts. 

If your thought is, “this is my life, and I can’t change it much,” you will be right.
 
If your thought is, “this is my life and I will design x-y-and-z for my future", you will be right.  


"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
​ 
    ~ Jim Rohn

It’s your choice.  It’s your opportunity.  You have today. Begin today. Decide to focus on one goal that you want in your life. Your design in your mind - your thoughts - is your beginning. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Dr Chris Baker

    America's most-trusted teacher of orthodontic continuing education, Dr. Chris Baker has practiced and taught for more than 30 years, and is a current or former faculty member of three U.S. dental schools.  She is a pediatric dentist, author, blogger, dental practice consultant, and mentor.  Dr. Chris is also Past President and Senior Instructor of the American Orthodontic Society.  She is based in Texas, USA, but lectures around the world.

    Categories

    All
    Abu Dhabi To Texas
    Dental Practice Freedom
    Life & Home
    L & O TV
    Orthodontics
    Pediatric Dentistry
    REAL Brief

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016

    RSS Feed

    Text and images
    © 2022 Dr Chris Baker