Life is short! Being an orthodontist in a growing practice here in Irvine makes it difficult to find time for myself. As a business owner, I never stop thinking about the practice, my employees, my patients, and how to provide the best customer service. This comes at a sacrifice – usually to yourself and your own family.
After this recent medical event, the little things that used to go unnoticed were now glaring me in the face. A couple days after the diagnosis, my daughter asked me to read her a book and I was busy. But I thought in my head, “I might not have that many more chances to read to her!?” So I put down what I was doing and read the same book (that she’d already read 100 times before) one more time. Then there’s that bottle of wine you’re saving for that special occasion. Thinking you might not even have a chance to drink it in a year, you’re more inclined to want to break it open it and share it with the people that care about you.
As you age, you realize you aren’t invincible – something could happen at any time! And, being a father of five – I’m just not ready to go! The thing about health issues is they can pop up at any time – in even the most healthy individual.
So my newfound take is… stop waiting and start doing! #yolo used to be a joke for my friends and I, but truth is, it’s a reality – YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!
Time flies, my friends, and you never know what tomorrow may bring. Even if you made all the money in the world, you cannot take it with you. Make the most of the time you have building relationships and doing things that people will remember you by. Do things that you enjoy… take that vacation, cross that item off your bucket list – before you can’t!
