Before we jump into this week’s Tip of the Week…
I’m writing this from Peru after finishing the incredible Lares Trek through the Andes—and wow, what an experience.
Three days hiking at high altitude, freezing nights, sunny mountain climbs, and carrying only the absolute essentials on my back. It was challenging, beautiful, uncomfortable, and one of those trips that quietly teaches you lessons you didn’t realise you needed.
Funny enough, somewhere between packing stress, altitude, and a flat tyre on the side of a mountain, I found myself thinking…
“This is exactly like dentistry.”
Because whether you’re trekking through Peru or setting up for a busy surgical day, preparation matters—but perfection is impossible.
And that brings me to this week’s lesson…
Tip of the Week: Prepared, Not Perfect
This week’s lesson came to me at 4,850 metres above sea level… halfway through the Andes on the Lares Trek in Peru.
For this three-day trek, I was only allowed 6 kilos total—that included my clothes, water, and everything I needed to survive freezing nights (down to minus 5 degrees) and sunny mountain days.
Now, if you know me, you know I am usually the person saying:
“Get everything out. Be overprepared. Plan for everything.”
And normally, in dentistry, I stand by that.
Preparation matters.
But this trek taught me something different.
Sometimes… you simply cannot prepare for everything.
On the way to the trek, I was talking to another traveller, Tim—a very cool guy who hikes all over the world with his wife and somehow only travels with a carry-on bag.
I was debating whether I needed two coats.
Tim looked at me and said:
“You only need one. You can never be fully prepared anyway.”
Then he added something I won’t forget:
“What you can prepare for is discomfort. You prepare for knowing something will change—and trusting yourself to handle it.”
And ironically… a few hours later, our bus hit a huge pothole and we got a flat tyre on the side of the mountain.
We were prepared for altitude sickness.
Prepared for freezing temperatures.
Prepared for hiking.
But definitely not prepared for a roadside tyre change in the Andes.
Yet—we handled it.
The team around us was incredible, calm, and solutions-focused.
And that reminded me so much of dentistry.
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Your Five-Minute Power Move
Every morning in surgery, I talk about what….
The Five-Minute Power Move
Before the day starts:
✔ Check your list with your dentist
✔ Confirm the procedures
✔ Clarify the plan
✔ Review special requirements
✔ Make sure the essentials are ready
This is not about pulling every possible item out “just in case.”
Because over-preparing creates:
✘ Waste
✘ Contamination risks
✘ Clutter
✘ Lost time
✘ Expensive stock being thrown away
Being organised does not mean overdoing it.
It means being intentional.
Prepared—not perfect.
Because just like on the mountain, something unexpected will always happen.
And the real skill is not having everything…
…it’s knowing how to adapt when plans change.
…and hopefully helping a few more teams back home decide that now is the time. With $2,500 of The DAB Academy while I’m away. Code SUCTIONBANDIT
Final Week – DAB Academy Offer
This offer will not be repeated.
If you’ve been thinking about it—this is your sign.
Because sometimes there is never a “perfect time.”
You just go anyway.
And it works out.
— Rochelle
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DAB ACADEMY $1,000 PRACTICE PROGRAM-CODE SUCTIONBANDIT
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