Dear Readers,

We are well into 2014, and beginning to see the results of our latest resolutions. About 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but only a few—8%—actually achieve their goals. What were yours this year? Train for a marathon? Prepare fresh food? Live more green? Aspire to new career ambitions? Hone your dental assisting skills? Devote more time to volunteering, to family?

As Mark Twain once quipped, “I don’t know why people say it’s so hard to quit smoking. I’ve done it hundreds of times myself!”

Any time of the year is a good point for self-improvement. If you can’t change a behavior in a long-term way, ask yourself why. Only you can bring about change. And you have to do it not for your family, patients, and friends—but for yourself. For many people, some behaviorists say it about 6 months to act upon an inspiration and alter behaviors—depending on the complexity of the goal. Individuals shift from contemplation to action, and soon they are empowered with positive changes. Always remind yourself who is in control of your destiny—you.

Our first cover interview of the year is an inspirational story about how one woman started an entire dental assisting program from the ground up. Martha McCaslin demonstrates how her military and dental assisting background gave her the discipline to a successful educational program.

For even more inspiration, Inside Dental Assisting is excited to present a new feature entitled Moneywise. It’s a semi-regular column devoted to answering your financial concerns as a dental assistant. If you have any money questions that you would like to ask us, please send them to mtennen@aegiscomm.com and you might see the topic covered in an upcoming issue.

Inside Dental Assisting hopes you have a great National Dental Assistants Recognition Week, too. We look forward to being your resource and inspiration all year long. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and support our sponsors—we couldn’t do it without them.

Sincerely,

Karen A. Auiler
kauiler@aegiscomm.com