A throwaway remark at a recent football match became a lightbulb moment for Area Manager, Gary Nelson. Here he explains why.
You learn something from everyone you meet, something my dad has instilled in me from an early age. Let me explain what I mean.
The other Saturday, as with most Saturday afternoons, I went along with my dad to watch my two lads play football for their team; something we do most Saturdays.
At the end of the match, one of the other young players’ dad came over for a natter. I hadn’t seen him in a while, as with many things post-Covid times, everything seemed to go in all directions, and communities dispersed.
“Gary, do you know it’s almost three years since we last stood watching our lads play football on the same team? Only back then they were only 15 / 16 years old; they were playing youth football. The league decider was cancelled forever, and the league abandoned. One game short of a possible league win.
“It’s like three years gone past in a month”.
“Youth football??? It seems as if they have been playing adult football forever” was the first thing I thought of. After a further chat we headed off home, but something stuck with me.
The phrase: Three years in a month.
It is simply the most perfect way to describe 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Time has indeed disappeared in what seems like a month and for many of us we simply haven’t had the chance to consider it, and maybe reflect on what happened properly.
Things such as:
- Temporary practice closure
- The mad scramble for information
- The mad scramble for PPE
- Mask fit testing
- Even more mad scramble for PPE
- A team in disposable or washable gowns
- Working together in mini teams
- Lunchtimes apart
- SOPS
- Lockdowns and more lockdowns
- Support teams walking out on dentistry for good
- New teams to train and support
- New attitudes to work and life balance
- A new world of communication behind screens and masks
- A cost-of-living situation.
Anything I’ve missed?
Perhaps that’s why so many people are a little bit, well, frazzled.
Perhaps we do all need to recognise what we have been through.
Perhaps we could all benefit from cutting ourselves some slack.
Perhaps we need to cut our support teams, and extended support teams, some slack?
Dentistry has achieved so much these last three years. You have all helped so many patients, are you helping yourselves, too?
Lots of people go to the gym at this time of year, to get a healthy body, and lose weight for summer, and all that jazz.
Just what are you and your teams doing for a mind workout and not just the body?
I think we are about to hear of a whole new world of Mindset Shifting, Mindset Mentoring, Mindset Planning and Mindset Coaching.
Maybe after three years in a month, we do all need a little bit of mind rest and reset.
Go easy on you!