Previous Page
FOCUS | ISSUE 6 | 2010
A journey of a thousand miles contacts begins with a single step call
S
everal members contacted their legisla- tors on 10-15-10 and helped us kick off our efforts to show those at the Capitol
the level of grassroots support for Capped Fees Reform. If you haven’t made your call yet, now is the time!
It seems that everywhere I go, members ask me about this topic. They have seen the impact this unfair insurance practice has had on their offi ces, and they are ready to join the other 16 states that have outlawed it.
And we can do it, too, but we need everyone to help.
There are 82 new legislators who will begin serving this state in January. That is 82 people who may know little, if anything, about the
issues you face in your offi ce every day. Who is going to educate them: Members of the dental community or those with another agenda?
MDA has streamlined the process of legislative contact and made participation easy. Visit our website www.modental.org/session to review the advocacy page. Follow the simple steps on how you can get the message out. It really is that easy.
Now, we realize that participation doesn’t just happen. You must have an issue worthy of a member’s time, as well as a process that is easy for them to follow. If you have that, all that’s left is the motivation.
Because members already have shared their in- terest in this issue, and because we have made
participation so easy, I hope this article will help provide motivation. But what words could I use to inspire members to pick up the phone?
So many great inspirational speeches have been given in the past. President Kennedy in- spired a nation during his inauguration address when he encouraged us to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. And President Reagan reminded us of America’s strengths during his “shining city on a hill” address as he prepared to leave the White House.
While political speeches can bring about great inspiration (they can even get you elected president), they don’t motivate everyone.
Many fi nd inspiration from the words of renowned sports legends. Coach John Wooden, for example, encouraged his players to succeed with the words: “The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take ac- tion, move.” While Vince Lombardi reminded his players of the importance of teamwork when he said, “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
Others fi nd inspiration from the great sages and philosophers of the past. Aristotle left us with the reminder that, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”
Contact Aaron at the MDA to learn more {aaron@modental.org or 800.688.1907}
Each of these powerful phrases could be used to remind members of the importance of action, participation and motivation. But, I couldn’t decide which would work the best. Do any of them appeal to a broad array of members? Can any of them fully encapsulate the importance of our efforts? Finally, I decided that rather than encourage participation with one single quote, I would try to use as many as possible, hoping that everyone would fi nd at least one that would speak to them and encourage them to join with members of their