It’s Gonna Get Worse Before it Gets Better

Sadly, yes, pain does hurt. I learned this last week when my teeth and gums decided it was time to pay me back for a few years of neglect. Were the lessons on business and success worth the pain I went through? You be the judge…

A couple of weeks ago I developed a some tooth pain. One morning I woke up and the upper right part of my mouth just hurt. Uh oh…

I was on the road for some speaking gigs, and had about four days before I could get back to see a dentist. To complicate matters, I didn’t actually have a Philadelphia dentist. Yes, I was still using the dentist I grew up with in NY state, trying to time appointments with visits to my parents. This plan had been relatively unsuccessful (come on! who wants to take time to see the dentist when your are only visiting your parents for a couple of days??) so I hadn’t been to the dentist for a few years. I know, I know, more fool me…

I managed to suffer through the next few days. The pain came and went, ranging from a low, dull throb to a “oh good God make it go away!” level.

While on the road, I got recommendations from my Philly friends and made an appointment for the day after I got back with a Philadelphia dentist. Yes, at 36 years old it was finally time to cut the cord and get a local DDS.

I went in to the appointment both nervous and hopeful. Nervous that it would be something serious requiring surgery or a “major procedure,” hopeful that I would walk out of there with my pain gone.

The dentist was a nice man who examined me closely and even took an x-ray. There was good news and bad news.

• The good news: There was nothing major wrong. In fact, it wasn’t tooth pain, it was gum pain, most likely caused by years of accumulated plaque (did I mention I flossed only about once a year…?). I only needed a good cleaning, and the problem would go away.
• The bad news: I would not walk out of there pain free. The cleaning would allow the gum to heal, but it would have to heal on its own. Even worse, the dentist says, “by clearing the plaque, we’ve exposed parts of the gum that were covered up, so they’ll be sensitive. Chances are the pain will get worse before it gets better.” He said it would take about 4 days.

D’oh!

This was unfortunate. I was hoping to walk out of there with a magic cure that would make my pain stop this moment. Instead, I was going to have to be in more pain for 4-7 more days!

And let me tell you, he wasn’t kidding. Three nights later I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst mouth pain I had felt since this whole thing started. And this was after taking two ibuprofens!

I was beginning to wonder if my dentist was a quack. He had said “about 4 days.” Well if that was the case, shouldn’t day three have had less pain? Maybe it was infected! Maybe there was something fa worse wring he had missed!

But no, there was nothing else wrong. each day after that the pain and throbbing got a little less. Today is the one week mark from the appointment and I barely noticed it at all. Turns out the dentist was right: it got worse before it got better, but it eventually got better. I suppose there is something reassuring in knowing that your dentist knows what he is talking about.

This got me thinking about the concept of pain, suffering, and success in other areas as well. There are a few takeaways from my dental ordeal:

Maintenance is Easy; Easy to Do, But Also Easy to Skip

I could have avoided this whole experience if I had done two simple things:

1. Flossed regularly
2. Seen the dentist every six months (heck, even once a year would have staved off this pain)

Neither of these is hard or time consuming, but they are still easy to put off.

In life and business, there are many things we can be doing every day to just maintain (or slightly improve) our business, health, relationships, etc. They are easy to put off and seem inconsequential, but put them off long enough and they will bite you in the ass.

The Question For You: What simple day to day “maintenance” activities are you putting off doing that, when you think about it, you know will come back to haunt you?

Disaster is Usually Preceded by Warning Signs

Here’s a confession: I had a similar pain years ago. My dentist told me it was just gum sensitivity and told me to use a soft bristled toothbrush and start using a “sensitive” toothpaste, like Sensodyne. This kind of depressed me as this was the toothpaste my parents used – I had always looked at it as “old people’s toothpaste.” And now I had to use it.

A couple of years later, that tooth/gum area would hurt if I bit down on something wrong. Guess what I did? That’s right, I would think, “hmm, I should see the dentist,” and then proceed to do nothing about it.

I ignored the signs, and I paid for it.

Most things that we see as “crisises” in our lives come with some advance warning. Business starts to drop before it bottoms out, communication gets tough before relationships end, and minor chest pains often precede major heart attacks. We just need to a) notice them and b) do something about it.

And it’s the second one that’ll get ya’…

The Question For You: What warning signs, in your business, health, or personal life are you ignoring right now?

Fixing Things Hurt (For a Bit)

Like my dentist told me, “it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” Fixing, or improving things, usually requires some kind of pain, suffering, or sacrifice. Getting in great shape requires sweat at the gym. Starting a business requires cutting back on spending and fun for a bit. Bad relationships require either difficult conversations or painful endings.

Does this mean that all improvement comes with pain and suffering? Not necessarily. Sometimes you find an elegant solution that makes everyone happy, an easy way to get what you want, or a resolution that makes everyone happy. But being willing to suffer if needed gives you the strength and courage to take actions to make things better.

A little (or lot) of short term pain can lead to a lifetime of great happiness. But it may get worse before it gets better.

The Question For You: What are you avoiding doing because you are afraid of the short term pain? How is that going to hurt you in the long run?

Let’s be blunt: pain sucks, but it’s a part of life. With proper maintenance and vigilance, you can reduce and avoid a lot of it. But sometimes you’re going to have to deal with it. If you’re not willing to have things be worse for a while, then you’ll never get to a point where things get better. Now go do what you have been avoiding.

And remember to floss your teeth!