You may have noticed that Paragon has modified its theme this year. In the past, we have assigned annual themes every year, and we have tried to focus all of our Excelleration Meetings around the theme. This year with the arrival of the COVID Shut Down, we set our annual theme aside and went to quarterly themes. Those quarterly themes have been…
- Our spring theme became Together We Can Do It.
We used the “Rosie the Riveter” poster from World War II to remind everyone that we are in the COVID war together. - Our summer theme was Dentistry Under the Caution Flag.
We used the theme from the Indy 500 when an accident occurs on the track. The race continues to be run, but it is run under a caution flag. At that time, no one is allowed to compete with each other as the race slowly starts up again. - Our fall theme is When Life Gives You…
We get to make the decision of whether it’s going to turn out to be sour lemons that will leave a bad taste in your mouth, or a great lemonade that refreshes you. Realistically, what can you create with a bag of lemons?
At the end of the spring COVID Shut Down, many Paragon practices went back to work. Obviously, some were able to start with a bang. Others started with a limp because of government restrictions, patient fears, or even a significant loss of staff.
Not surprisingly, a number of our clients are now going into the fall with a determination to make this one of the best fall seasons they have ever had. At Paragon, we are so proud of all of you. You have weathered the worst airborne pathogen – known to science! – and you have come out triumphant on the other end.
Speaking of determination, Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote a memoir of his experience in the concentration camps, but he also shared his new philosophy of logotherapy called Determinism. His book – Man’s Search for Meaning – has two main thoughts.
- You cannot always determine your circumstances.
- You can always determine your response to those circumstances.
Think about this: here’s a man who lost every member of his family to the concentration camps – immediate, extended, and by marriage – and yet he said it’s still within us to decide how to respond to our circumstances. In his book, he also pointed out that he could predict who would probably make it out of the Nazi slave labor death camps. First, one should remember that the slave labor death camps were set up on purpose to be as close as possible to “hell on earth”. Frankl noted that those people who were determined to get through the experience many times did. They ignored the horrible injustice of Nazi genocide (and no one could ever claim that he was a Nazi apologist), and they didn’t live for liberation dates. They realized they were in a terrible situation, and they focused on getting through it. Incidentally, if you haven’t read the book recently, I highly recommend it!
At The Paragon Program™, we are committed to helping you get back on track as much as possible. For some, it means hitting new goals this year. For others, it means getting back in the race even if you just get to where you were last year. You should still count that as a big achievement considering how much time you were closed!
For those of you who are in the middle of a redesign and retooling your practice, we are there for you. We will literally do everything within our power to make sure that everyone comes through this year stronger and better. Next year will be Your Best Year Ever!
– Ken Runkle, for the Paragon Team