I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to get braces when I was growing up.
Every time I went to the dentist, the dentist would regale me with compliments about how perfect my teeth are.
The skeptical side of me wonders if they are complimenting me to make me feel good.
I am after all part of the reason he can feed his family.
I try not to be skeptical on most days.
I’ve been with my current dentist for more than seven years now.
That is astonishing to think about. I can’t believe it’s been that long.
Twice a year, I go and seat in the fancy chair that moves in all sorts of directions.
I think the dentist chair is pretty cool.
A few years ago, I was lying in the dental chair as my dental hygienist is doing her work to rid me of my bad dental hygiene.
I promise I’ve got dental hygiene now. I even floss regularly.
I floss now so Karen, my dental hygienist, can tell her husband that one of her patients actually flosses regularly.
The last time I went to the dentist, Karen told me I was the only one that day who flossed my teeth.
When I didn’t floss my teeth, my gums would start spurting blood everywhere in my mouth.
It’s not as gruesome as I just made it sound, there is bleeding, however.
The bleeding gums indicate that I’ve not been flossing. After Karen finished flossing my teeth, my gums were started to swell a bit, and they were sore for the remainder of the day.
I finally determined enough was enough. I’m going to be a tooth flosser.
I’m going to have healthy gums and healthy teeth.
I’m going to be Karen’s prize dental patient.
Now I get a sick fascination with making Karen’s day because I’m a tooth flosser.
As I’m sharing the story of my healthy teeth, I’m reminded of my three children who were not blessed with my teeth.
I’ve spent a small fortune getting their teeth fixed.
I can’t have snaggletooth children.
It just wouldn’t be right.
I wouldn’t be able to look my children in the eyes if they had bad teeth.
My children’s teeth aren’t the reason I think about money when I brush my teeth.
There’s another simpler reason why I think about money when I brush my teeth.
When I brush my teeth, I always use toothpaste.
I once tried to use baking soda on my teeth because I heard that my ancestors used baking soda to brush their teeth.
What a ridiculous notion that was.
Baking soda does not taste the same as toothpaste.
Don’t get too scared. I know it says on the toothpaste tube that I shouldn’t eat toothpaste.
I don’t swallow the toothpaste, however occasionally the toothpaste finds its way onto my taste buds.
I may be going on a bit of a stretch here, but the advance of toothpaste is a nicety of our modern world.
I’m glad I don’t have to use baking soda on my teeth.
Mike Michalowicz, in the book Profit First, shares a story he learned from his daily brushing ritual.
When we first get a tube of toothpaste, we tend to be a bit wasteful with how much toothpaste we put on our toothbrush.
Sometimes we miss the toothbrush, and the toothpaste falls into the sink.
What do we do with that toothpaste? We turn the faucet on and wash it down the drain.
When we get towards the end of the tube of toothpaste, we get very thrifty with our toothpaste usage.
We gingerly place the toothpaste tube on the toothbrush.
We squeeze ever so slightly on the tube, ensuring we have just enough toothpaste on the toothbrush to keep our loved ones from suffering the remnants of yesterday’s pizza.
In both instances, we completed the job of brushing our teeth.
In the first example, we probably used 2-3 times more toothpaste as we did in the second example.
It’s the same thing with our business.
We spend our cash based on the amount that is in the bank.
Unless we are consciously aware of how our money is being used, we end up wasting it.
Spend a few minutes and think about how you’re wasting money in your business.
Now I want you to picture a 10-foot-high bonfire.
Now I want you to visualize a bag of money. You know those bags of money they show in the money with the big dollar sign on them.
Now look down at the bag of money in your hand.
How much money is in that bag of money?
How much does the bag of money weigh?
What would you do with the bag of money?
Now that you’ve answered those questions look down at the bag of money.
Now, look at the huge bonfire.
Now throw the bag of money in the fire!
Burn Baby Burn. Watch that money burn!
Isn’t it glorious!
Kiss that money goodbye. But don’t let the flames burn you on the lips.
Money is a precious resource we have.
Think for a moment of all the ways you wasted money in the last week?
The way you burned your money in the bonfire.
In a very real way, you are burning your own money every time you mindlessly waste money, and there is only one person to blame.
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