Leading an “UnOrthoDoc” Life and How You Can Too
You probably landed on my blog or have been a long time reader and wondered, what does she even mean by The UnOrthoDoc? UnOrthoDoc is a word I totally made up that became sort of my personal brand. By my definition, it is (n) someone who does not subscribe to stereotypes of what he/she should be, do or look like (adj): Contrary to what is usual; different. It is a play on words, taken from the word Unorthodox meaning to be different. It does help that I am an Orthodontist (Ortho); a doctor (doc). But, you do not have to be a doctor at all to embody this. Therefore, by definition, you may also be UnOrthoDoc. You’re part of the club, sis, Grab your t-shirt!
After I explain what it means to be UnOrthoDoc, this usually leads to the follow-up question: What’s an UnOrthoDoc life(style)? Simply put, it is creating and designing a life that YOU love. Sometimes, that can look different than the one that is expected of you.
The more you can live a life that feels right, instead if the one you feel is expected, the happier you will be.
Yes, I am an Orthodontist. This is my career, the one that took me 10 years of school and plenty of student loans to accomplish. This is my 9-5. I have my own Orthodontic practice in downtown Washington,DC where I create/perfect smiles 3, sometimes 4 days per week. As much as I love doing this, and as much satisfaction it gives me to watch someone’s self esteem improve over time, it is not the only thing I love. I am not only an Orthodontist. It is simply what I have been formerly trained to do.
I consider myself multi-passionate. In doing Orthodontics I have developed an affinity for aesthetics that go beyond just perfectly aligned teeth but one that extends to facial aesthetics and thus I have expanded my expertise to that space creating a quasi-med spa with my husband as an adjunct to my Orthodontics practice. I co-founded a dental non-profit with the mission to provide dental services for individuals without access to care, and although I am no longer part of that organization my values remain the same and so I have chosen to focus those efforts on my home country, Jamaica. I love writing and have had several blogs since 2008. I love educating my readers, sharing knowledge, experiences, tips and information that I come across that would help you as much as it helps me and I love that it comes with the added perk of a little extra income each month. I enjoy creating divinely scented candles and have been doing this since 2012. The process is very therapeutic and I really love coming up with new scents every month. I may even develop different or new loves and passions in the future (because as we know, things do change and it is okay to change your mind). However, all these endeavors, which happens to be businesses of their own feeds a different part of me.
If I am being totally honest, there are periods where I feel a pull more towards one over the other. There are periods where I prefer to be blogging over aligning teeth, smoothing out wrinkles and fine lines over writing and there are times where all I want to do is concoct fragrances and make graphics for social media on canva. It’s just like that. Our passions typically tend to be on the creative side and does not usually pay the bills, unfortunately and you are lucky to find this combination. So here’s my first advice:
Build a career around what you’re good at, while pursuing your passion(s) on the side. Once the income from your passion exceeds the income you get from your day job, that’s when you can decide to pursue your passion (if that’s what you want). Until then, keep working at it.
I have been asked before, “If you weren’t an Orthodontist what would you do/be?” My answer is why do I have to choose? I can be an Orthodontist, blogger, chandler and anything I decide to do. If my blogging income were to surpass my income from Orthodontics I would consider slowing down in my Orthodontics practice and devote more time to blogging. I love it! It is a great marriage of creativity, writing, and helping. My answer almost always leaves people confused. “Why would you be doing this when you’re an Orthodontist? a doctor?! It makes no sense,” “why would she chase pennies for blogging when she makes real money being an Orthodontist?” are some of the things I overhear. We have been conditioned to equate success with money. Money is a tool. Money pays the bills. If money weren’t in the equation I would do Orthodontics in half the amount of time I do it now and for people who are in need. This brings me to my next set of advice:
2. Find your purpose - I understand this sounds cliché, but hear me out. Your purpose fuels and fulfills you and this is very different from your goals. Nowadays everyone is busy accomplishing. Everyone is setting goals and achieving them, always aiming higher - myself included. You may have goals of buying a house or starting a business but purpose takes those goals to a higher level. In my opinion, there are two things that prevent us from finding our purpose:
Our need for stability and certainty: The need for stability and predictability is one of our deepest human needs. Routines help us conserve mental energy, and staying in our comfort zones can keep us from feeling anxious and getting hurt – emotionally and physically. But it also prevents growth. It keeps us in unfulfilling jobs and unhealthy relationships, and thus prevents us from finding purpose.
Limiting Beliefs: The stories we tell ourselves about who we are can either hold us back or propel us toward fulfillment. Limiting beliefs – that we can’t do certain things, that we’re not good enough, that nobody will take us seriously, that this or that thing is what we are supposed to do or what is expected of us, that we don’t deserve to be happy – lead to limiting behaviors like fear of failure and self-sabotage. Believing that we have no limitations in life gives us the confidence to find our purpose.
3. Be honest with yourself about what you want your life to be, look and feel like: We all tell ourselves stories. They explain our emotions. They give meaning to our lives. They tell us how to react to certain situations and give us patterns to fall back on when we’re not sure what to do. But are we telling ourselves the whole story? Are we being honest with ourselves? If something feels “off” in our life – our relationship is losing passion, we’re not excited about our career or we feel busy but not productive – we may need to learn how to be honest with ourselves. Here’s how:
Be vulnerable: There is nothing more courageous than allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Absolute courage and vulnerability is one of the Five Disciplines of Love– and that includes self-love. Be willing to face fears head on.
Reflect on your decisions: Taking time out each day to reflect can not only help us be honest with ourselves, but can make us feel more fulfilled and grateful. Try writing in a journal at the end of each day, answering questions like, what did I do right today? What can I do better tomorrow? How did my actions help me reach my ultimate goals – or prevent me from reaching them? When we write down our thoughts, it’s much harder to lie to ourselves.
Picture your future: Dreaming of our ideal future can often provide more clarity on what we really want. When we are 90 years old and sitting in our rocking chair, what will be our biggest regret in life? What will give us the most fulfillment? When we frame our life this way, we begin to see what really matters to us.
Develop self awareness: Have you ever told someone, “You know me better than I know myself”? It may be true. Others see things in us that we aren’t able to see, but if we’re willing to ask for outside opinions, we can become more self-aware. When we become aware of our own patterns – when we know why we are the way we are – we can finally begin to be honest with ourselves.
4. Be intentional about living that life: Intentional living is a lifestyle that encourages us to define our priorities, get clear on what we want from life and live each day in alignment with these priorities. In simple terms, living intentionally means deciding what we want from life and going for it! Instead of chasing our tails and struggling with life in the fast lane, we’re seeking out a life of purpose, direction, clarity, peace and joy instead. A life on our terms instead of a life dictated to us by our schedule or To Do list.
5. Ignore the haters: People dislike others who are different from them, or those who are more successful than them.
I hope this resonated with you. Consider supporting my blog by visiting the shop and making a purchase, like a journal or planner and don’t forget to grab your t-shirt. You are in the club now, afterall. At the very least, share this article with someone you think may resonate with it too.
