Specialist Dental Group has launched an on-going series of blog posts by our individual dental specialists. All views provided are the dentist’s own opinions and are posted on this blog as part of our on-going efforts to educate the public about dental issues and other matters of interest relating to dentistry and healthcare.
This month marked the 34th Edition of the London Marathon which was recently concluded a couple of weeks ago. As an avid/aspiring runner myself, I have an interest in the 6 World Marathon Majors of which London is one of them.
This year’s event in particular held my fascination because of one person. His name is Mo Farah and he is the reigning World and Olympic Champion for the 5000 & 10000m distance run. Already a powerhouse in the middle & long distance track events, he had decided to not only compete but make his professional debut in the London Marathon this year.
There were naysayers and the like, expressing their opinions that he is out of his depth and that he should simply stick to what he does best.
The brickbats were lined up in eager anticipation of his imminent failure. “Why would Mo Farah risk his reputation and put his legacy on the line?” were some of the negative comments that came out in the weeks preceding the race.
But it was precisely this spirit that piqued my interest. Not only was he willing to put everything on the line and risk it all, he was also trying to challenge himself in taking on a completely new event . Training for a full marathon requires a complete revamp not only in preparation in the physical sense but also in terms of nutrition, psychology and strategy. It is not an overnight change but a measured process over several months to achieve the level of conditioning required to be competitive for 42 km.
Unwilling to settle in his comfort zone, he decided to put himself in what was an entirely new environment. To push himself to reach for greater heights and limits. Achieving success or experiencing failure were merely possible outcomes, and Mo Farah understoodands that what mattered more was to stay engaged in the external, to continuous learning, to contribute and to grow as a person.
As healthcare professionals in our field, we too can take a leaf out of Mo Farah’s playbook. We can all too easily be lulled into just doing only what we do best, day in & and day out. But if we pushed ourselves, learned new techniques, endeavoured to pushedpush the envelope of what’s possible, we can achieve things we never imagined we were capable of.
In the end, Mo Farah placed scored the 8th position in the run and clocked a new English record. A great result by any measure of the word. It may not have the fanfare or prestige of placing being in the 1st placement but it certainly spurs me to never sell myself short. To be mindful of who I am and what I can become.
Dr. Edwin Tan is a Dental Specialist in Prosthodontics with Specialist Dental Group®. He is also a Senior Adjunct Lecturer with the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the National University of Singapore. Dr Tan has a special interest in dental implants, crowns and aesthetic dentistry. For more information, visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com.
