Editor’s Note:

Happy New Year! Yes, I know you’ve heard it a few times by now and I know we’re well into the month of January, but I had to add my greetings to your ever-growing list of well wishes. Not only does this month begin a new year, it also begins a new decade. I don’t think that thought truly hit me until I started seeing all of the “Top 10 news stories of the 2000s” toward the end of December.

Looking back on the decade that was, it’s amazing to think of all the changes we have seen in the last 10 years. We’ve been through 9/11, economic recession, and even “wardrobe malfunctions.” We’ve seen the rise of Google, personal GPS devices, Wii, and iPods. Just think back 10 years ago, we wouldn’t have known what to do without our CD players or paperback books before getting on a flight or going on a vacation. Now, we make sure the Kindle and the iPod are packed. Oh and don’t forget the Kindle app for the iPod. Make sure you have that as well.

Look back at all of the changes our world has seen in the last 10 years. Now think ahead to what this decade may hold for us. Personally, I’ll cross the 50-year-old threshold and my daughter will turn 21 (agh!). Of course, that’s providing that the doomsday prophecies of 2012 don’t happen.

How do you see yourself 10 years from now? Is that a strange thought for you? It is for me. I have a lot of goals and places to see in the world, so I hope I will be able to check a few of those boxes this decade. Professionally? I hope and plan to be right here talking about news of the dental industry with you … and what a dental industry it could be by then! The advances that could happen … the mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations that could occur … the products that could be introduced … it’s mindblowing to think of the possibilities.

A friend of mine asked me at church the other day if I was making any New Year’s resolutions. I told him no, but I think I’ve changed my mind since then. Yes, I do want to lose some weight. Yes, I do want to do more to help the environment. But I also want to make some “new decade resolutions” while I’m at it. The biggest of them all? I want to be ready for and accepting of change. Can we anticipate what will happen? Absolutely not (just ask all of the fine folks in Las Vegas), but we can be flexible enough to know that change will happen.

Luke Rhinehart once said, “You are the sole creator of your experience.” It’s a great quote, and it’s one that I’ve really come to embrace over the last few months.

As a new decade dawns, I hope that you’ll take a few moments to visualize where you hope to be, both personally and professionally, when the next decade begins. It’s going to be an interesting ride for all of us.

I want to take a moment to thank Michael Norton of Burkhart Dental for writing an article on trust for this month’s issue (page 46). I was in the room when Michael presented his talk on trust at the Dental Trade Alliance meeting in Washington, D.C., and it didn’t take long to see that the topic of trust resonated with everyone in attendance and made an impact. Be sure to read his article.
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Finally, I’d like to acknowledge a friend of mine who is retiring from the industry. Jiro Masuda, a consultant for the J. Morita Corporation, will retire on Feb. 20 after 50 years of service. In October of 1964, Morita opened an overseas liaison office, the first for a Japanese dental company, in Los Angeles for promotion of the Spaceline Chair-Unit concept, and Mr. Masuda was appointed the first manager there at the age of 26. The man has an amazing history in the dental industry, and I am fortunate to call him a friend and colleague. I have chatted with him many times about the dental industry and life in general. In 2007, I was lucky enough to fly to Japan to tour the offices and facilities of Morita and Shofu. Mr. Masuda was right there with me, and some of my best memories of the trip are the times we were able to relax and chat. He also holds another special place to me … he’s the only person I’ve ever sung John Denver songs with karaoke-style.