During a recent visit to a friend’s home I noticed a lapel badge sitting on a hall table that was inscribed: “Nothing” is not a solution. Curious, I inquired as to the background of the badge and was informed that it was designed during the 2011 bargaining dispute between the 10,000 member-Federation of Post- Secondary Educators of BC and the British Columbia government. I’m not aware of the final outcome of the dispute but it was the members’ “Nothing” stand that caught my attention because doing nothing is seldom, if ever, the solution to any problem.
I was also intrigued with the thought that a number of years ago I had come across a similar statement, and upon further checking learned that in 2004, Australian author Robert K. Critchley had published a book entitled Doing Nothing Is Not An Option. Apparently, Critchley’s book deals with America’s aging labour force, and the whole new set of work force issues that this change presents.
During our daily lives, from the time we awake in the morning until we lay our heads on the pillow at night, we are faced with decisions and choices – Yes, No, even Maybe – but seldom, if ever, are success and joy in life achieved by doing nothing. And as we peruse the pages of The Professional Advisory, within this particular edition or any of the 61 previous editions over the years, the message of Nothing Is Not A Solution is reinforced. Each of the PA’s contributors strives to help you make decisions which enhance the success of your dental practice and, even more importantly, contribute to your overall enjoyment of all that life has to offer.
Within these pages Ron Weintraub deals with the dilemma that “Sometimes We Don’t Know Enough To Know What We Don’t Know”. He certainly doesn’t suggest doing nothing. He offers valid solutions to unintentional underperformance. Mark McNulty tells us that the key to preserving one’s sanity in “Playing the Stock Market” is to maintain focus on the long term and make adjustments as the markets swing from one extreme to
nother. Doing nothing is not a solution. The opening sentence in Ian Tom’s “Surviving the Future: Manage Your Lease Affairs” is Life is a dynamic process . This most certainly suggests that doing nothing regarding managing your leases will never be a solution you want to live with. In his article, “Non-arm’s Length Transfers”, David Chong Yen outlines the complex rules covering transfers of wealth and assets between family members, and how failure to follow them can be very expensive. Again, doing nothing is not a great choice. David Rosenthal continues on from volume 61 with “Associate Agreements – Part 2”, in which he underlines how Nothing Is Not A Solution by detailing how a properly drafted written associate agreement is essential from the Principal’s perspective. And David Lind’s “Top Ten List for Buyers” doesn’t have a word about doing nothing. He clearly shows that although the purchase of a practice can be a complex undertaking, it can and should be a very rewarding process.
So there we have it! Six well experienced contributors – all with many years of dealing with the dental profession – each clearly providing valuable advice on how to have a better practice and more rewarding life style. And not one of them even hinting that doing nothing is part of the solution. PA
