License Renewal

By Aaron Stevens, DMD

My youngest, Jaxson, likes carrying one of his many pocket watches when he is wearing his suit (and frequently when he isn’t).  Add a top hat and a monocle and we’d have the monopoly man living in our basement. The imagery of the chains on these watches strikes me as somewhat symbolic of a pair of life truths:

1. When we are passive about time mastery and the associated deadlines, we give up control. We end up shackled, run-down, and exhausted. It has been called the “unforgiving minute” for a reason. The chains are a restriction and life isn’t fun.
2. When we are intentional about mastering time and deadlines, we are in charge. Our abilities are amplified, and we can handle tasks and pull loads that we otherwise could not.  The chains become a tool that magnifies our will and enhances our abilities. Life is happy and runs more on our terms.

Life runs on time and deadlines are real. It is just how it is. Taxes are due on April 15. Rent is monthly, as are the credit card bills. Since I don’t like calls from the IRS, I do like sleeping indoors where it is safe and warm, and I don’t enjoy that look my wife gives me if the credit card doesn’t work when paying for dinner, I am motivated about meeting those deadlines. The cost of not doing so is high enough to warrant the intentionality and energy spent.

Our dental license renewal date is on our birthday. Practicing without a license is against the law. Additionally, if we let our license expire, insurance companies might not pay claims until the license is current. A lot of practice revenue can be lost.

Since I don’t like breaking the law or working for free, I get highly intentional with my license renewal. I set multiple reminders in my phone with annoying alert tones, leave sticky notes, and sometimes ask people smarter than me to backstop me. There are far more creative methods I could use if this proved insufficient. I could commit to the people around me that if I miss renewal, I’ll wear a Darth Vader costume at work, dye my hair pink, or send my ex-wife a sweet card saying it was all my fault and a big check. Just the image of any of those would be motivation enough for me. You know yourself best. There are absolutely ways to structure this and motivate ourselves so that we don’t miss the deadlines in areas that are important to us. Get creative.

The Department of Health assists by sending licensees a reminder letter three months prior to renewals being due. As they transition into some new software, it may be possible to have text or email reminders as well in the future.

The practice of dentistry can be hard. We often feel chained down by the many things we can’t control. In areas like license renewal, it doesn’t have to be that way. We are in charge and can choose to be intentional and use the tools we have to make it happen on time.