My Journey to Writing a Book at 64: From Hitchhiking Europe in my 20s to Inspiring Dentists
Why did I decide to write a book at the “tender” age of 64? Well, after spending the last 10 years or so traveling the country and speaking to dentists and industry specialists, it feels like another way to share some of my presentation themes.
It has also been fun to reminisce about my journey, from dropping out of college and my seven year “walkabout” to eventually finding my passion in life. Which is inspiring (hopefully 😜) dentists to live abundantly, lead with curiosity and compassion, and think like a CEO.
Two of the greatest moments of my life were connected:
The epiphany when I first decided to leave college and travel
The moment of exhilaration when I stepped off the plane in Hamburg at the age of 20 and started hitchhiking!
Those seven “gap” years included an incredible array of experiences, relationships, and self-growth. My initial backpacking trip was a like a colorful mosaic, including:
Living on the Greek isle of Crete for two months and working on an olive farm
Exploring incredible cities like Amsterdam, Paris and London
Journeying through what was then Yugoslavia
Hitchhiking the outer ring of Ireland
Spending a glorious week on the beaches in the Algarve (Portugal’s southernmost region)
Experiencing a bit of life in East Berlin well before the fall of the wallMake it stand out
The Realities of My Nomadic Years: Soul-Searching and Unforgettable Experiences
However, it would be misleading to over-romanticize those years. There was a lot of soul-searching and wondering about my true vocation in life. Like many people in their 20’s. And 30’s. And beyond. And lots of times when finances were tight. I eventually reached a point in my life when I realized that continuing to live a nomadic life would no longer be fulfilling. Plus, it is one thing to be doing the youth hostel thing when you are twenty. It’s another to be doing it when you are starting to push thirty. Your fellow travelers start to look at you like “Hey bro, aren’t you a little old to be hanging out with us? This is our time.”
That being said, I wouldn’t trade the journey and the self-discovery, the people, places, cultures, and various jobs (bartender, blackjack dealer, door-to-door encyclopedia salesman) for anything. Okay - honest hour. I’m sure I learned from the door-to-door encyclopedia sales role, like how to accept rejection and the word no, but I definitely don’t want to re-experience it!
Discovering My True Passion: From CPA to Relationship Builder and Dental Speaker
After returning to college and eventually getting my CPA, I had a “whoops” moment. I realized that, while I enjoyed and understood accounting and finance, my true passion was connecting with people, collaborating with them, and introducing them to others in my growing network. I discovered that I have a sincere interest in the lives of others. Everyone has a story - and I found I was fascinated to hear the stories of others and how they ended up where they were in the current moment.
So, I was a bit of a “square peg in a round hole” for much of my professional career. While I appreciated and understood the value of accounting and finance, in my heart of hearts I was all about relationships. My career arc changed when I was able to meld my business knowledge with roles that highlighted my passion for relationships. From being a recruiter (which is all about establishing relationships and connecting people) to working in business development (connecting with others and introducing them to those within your company) to eventually becoming a speaker on the business side of dentistry circuit.
It feels random that I ended up on the dental speaking circuit. I was fortunate to have been presented with the opportunity when a colleague at the CPA firm I was working at decided to retire. Bob Creamer was the partner in charge of the dental team within the firm, who serviced many dental clients with their accounting and tax needs. In addition, Bob had also established himself as a popular speaker on the dental circuit, presenting at dental conferences across the country on the business of dentistry, providing tools and steps to run a more profitable dental practice. Bob took me under his wing in the months before he retired, teaching me about the intricacies within the dental business world, and opening doors to the beginning of my dental public speaking career. I am forever grateful!
My Approach to Public Speaking: Entertain, Educate, and Inspire
I find true joy in public speaking and in the challenge of motivating my audience. My “North Star” is to always think of myself as an audience member – if I was in the audience, how would I respond to the information being presented. I think we’ve all been to seminars or conferences where a speaker gets up on stage, displays a slide with 300 words in tiny, unreadable font, and then BEGINS TO READ EVERY WORD!! And the audience members start to die a slow death. So, my first goal was to NOT be that speaker. And to communicate complex concepts in a way that the audience could understand. To remember that I was talking to a roomful of dentists, not CFO’s.
I realized early on that I was able to distill public speaking down into three essential components:
Entertain the audience: If you can’t keep them awake, they can’t learn anything from you.
Educate the audience: If they’re not learning something new, then why are they even giving up some of their valuable time to sit in the audience?
Inspire the audience to act: To leave my talk with a commitment to incorporate an idea or concept into their life going forward.
Someone once asked me what my “why” was when I speak. It’s simple - to inspire at least one person in the audience to take action that will hopefully improve their life.
The same for my book. If one tiny nugget from my experiences and philosophies makes an impact, then mission accomplished.
Here’s wishing you a nugget – or two. And an abundant and joyful life. Onwards ✌🏻✌🏻
