It's More Than Just a Job

I heard two interesting quotes on the radio this morning. The first was, “The fact that Pope Benedict retired shows that even being Pope is a job.” But a job serves different functions. It can be the way one makes a living, it can be the way that one helps others, it can help create ones’ identity, and it can help create a sense of self fulfillment. For the Pope it is even a spiritual journey. Another report on the radio today reported the frustration of Female CEO’s. Now that they have made it to the top they are still asking, “Is this all there is? Where is the sense of self-fulfillment for which I sacrificed my personal life?

My role as orthodontist and effective CEO of Okun Orthodontics is more than just a job. I “put my heart” into the care of my patients. I make an effort to establish a personal relationship with each patient so that I am not only creating a beautiful smile with a functioning bite for my orthodontic patients and helping “TMJ patients” to eliminate their “head and neck pain”, but I am often acting as a life coach. I frequently find myself guiding young patients to appreciate their siblings, helping college students figure out their life goals, or enabling frustrated parents to vent their frustrations. Conversely my patients have taught me a lot about handling life as I watch them in their family interactions and jobs. Many of my patient- families have become my friends, and many of my friends have become my patients. I am very fortunate that my job is more than just a job.