Mindful Moments with Maggie Augustyn DDS
Mindful Moments has been created in the hopes of promoting a paradigm shift, the cusp of which we are experiencing in dentistry. A much-needed transition is uniting what we experience inside the operatory and that which lies outside of it.
It is an attempt at getting us to look past the clinical aspect of our profession, one that has been established and attended to for decades now, into creating a well-balanced initiative toward leading a fulfilling life as multidimensional humans. As providers and professionals within the dental industry, we have too long focused on all tooth-related qualifications and skills that have led us to improve our patients’ health and lives.
We have been preoccupied with ways that make us more profitable. Though it is important for us to continue in that growth pattern, we also need to create room for the idea that we, as humans, and healers, ought to take time to reflect, rewind, and relax. With life on fast forward, we sometimes lose connection with what is important, with what brings joy and keeps us in flow, all in an attempt to attend to the next thing on our to-do list.
An endless to-do list, that in all honesty is far less important than we give it credit. No matter how many things are taken off that list and how many more are added at the day’s end, the presence of those we love and that which fuels our soul may be fleeting. Will we lose the chance to anchor our happiness to the things with little or no permanence? Not if we choose to engage with Mindful Moments.
As I have discovered, writing has been a way of processing information, pondering possibilities, initiating change, and promoting growth within myself. My own Mindful Moments profoundly coming into existence at the expense of challenges and discomfort are meant to inspire a promise of change for the readers at a much lower cost than what I had been forced to pay.
I pride myself on speaking and bringing to attention the things that others choose to suppress in the hope that would make all of us feel less alone and more connected. My experience is that there is surprise in Mindful Moments and an awakening to the beauty surrounding us.
Yes, that beauty includes seeing our patients with beaming, healthy smiles; but it also includes a freedom that releases the hidden heavy burden that we carry and are forced to suppress. Mindful Moments are meant to bring you closer to realizing your purpose and living life passionately.
Follow me in this space. Join the forum of comments over the next months. My intention for this column and for the discussion below is to both engage and create change, not just as life relates to dentistry, but as life relates to people, to our wellbeing, and to overall happiness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Maggie W. Augustyn is a practicing general dentist, practice owner, and author. She completed her formal dental education earning a doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Prior to that, she was awarded two Bachelor’s degrees (UIC and Benedictine University). Immediately after graduation, she completed the course sequence at the renowned Dawson Academy’s continuum in oral equilibration and cosmetic dentistry.
Benedictine University awarded her the Rising Star Award in 2015, which was presented to an alumnus who made considerable strides in their career and has demonstrated dedication to philanthropic endeavors.
Dr. Augustyn has a strong social media presence in dental circles, and has an average of 20 publications per year in journals, such as Dentistry Today and Dental Economics. She is a frequent contributor to Dental Entrepreneur Woman, as well. She has also been featured on various podcasts bringing attention to wellness, the importance of authenticity, and burnout in dentistry.
She’s a mentor to young dentists and a motivational speaker around the country.
