On the wall in my operatory rests a lone odd clock. Most anyone who enters the room will notice that the clock only has one hand…the second. With each click of the clock time passes, but it really appears to have no end nor does it even appear to have a beginning. After a period of time, many would ask, isn’t that clock missing something? I would have to answer; “no.” Of course, the clock does have the purpose of timing various procedures we do. I may point out that it is the same clock my attorney uses to time his billing. But in reality the clock represents a big part of me. It is not a fancy clock by any means. In fact, I believe it costs less than five dollars at the local store, and was easily manipulated by myself to have a useful purpose. Unlike most dental equipment “sold” to us today, the cost/benefit ratio of “the clock” for timing everything from impressions to etch application is a thousand fold. Useful, practical, cost efficient, and cheap. Not too much different then yours truly. I would even bet any of you that this small little clock can, per dollar, out produce the marveled 100 thousand dollar time saving lab machine touted by a large dental supply company. This is because the true lesson in the clock for us is, time. And that, my friends, is the key to many of the successes or failures so many of us can never seem to understand or take control of.
The day I took the hands off of this clock was more than likely without knowing, the first time I took control over a very powerful component of my life, my time. Without a minute or hour hand, the clock really doesn’t give much more than a short period in which to focus. It is easy to manage the first few times the second hand goes around a full circle when timing short procedures, but after that, it all starts to run together. When you loose track of the time, you loose control, and when we loose control of time, everything can begin to falter.
