There is Nothing Like a Mantra to be Your Life’s Guiding Light

QUESTIOn: Do you or don’t you have a mantra (or guiding philosophy)?

Yes: 63%

• Take care of your staff. And they will take care of you. — Maury Kessler, OD, Eyecare Plus Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ
• Your success is my success. — Star Taylor, Richens Eye Center, St. George, UT
• There’s a few: Take it one day at a time, and if that doesn’t help, take it an hour or a minute at a time. Refuse to be offended. Treat patients like you’d treat your grandparents. — Tiffany Firer, Lifetime Eyecare, Jenison, MI
• We’ve got this! — Verbelee Nielsen-Swanson, Oxford Eyes, Orlando, FL
• Depends on the day really, but a few favorites: Fake it till you make it. I am worthy of abundance. It could be worse! — Jenna Gilbertson, McCulley Optix Gallery, Fargo, ND
• Eyewear, Health and Clarity. In that order, based on years of experience working with our demographics. It’s more of a motto, but it’s the closest thing we have to a mantra. — Josh Bladh, Dr. Bladh OD, Diamond Bar, CA
• Golden rule: Treat ’em like you would your grandma. — Dave Goodrich, Goodrich Optical, Lansing, MI
• Never, ever, ever give up! — Elle Tatum, Elle’s Island Spectacle, Bainbridge Island, WA
• Commit to the Lord everything you do. Then he will make your plans succeed. Proverbs 16:3. — Nikki Griffin, EyeStyles Optical and Boutique, Oakdale, MN
• Do whatever is best for the customer. — Steve Geis, Metro Eye, Milwaukee, WI
• One foot in front of the other, inhale and exhale. — Michael Davis, OD, Opti-Care, Eldersburg, MD
• My mantra changes from day to day! — Selena Jachens, Urban Eyecare & Eyewear, West Des Moines, IA
• We pride ourselves in offering the most comprehensive eye health care with unforgettable customer service while being at the technological forefront of our profession. We promise to educate our patients to the fullest extent while offering preventative care, expertise and the finest craftsmanship possible. — Caitlin Wicka, San Juan Eye Center, Montrose, CO
• “Start where they are, go where they ain’t.” – Dr. WC Maples. — Megan Lott, OD, Lexington Eye Care, Lexington, MS
• I have always told my patients: “I am not going to spend your money. I will educate you on what works best for your prescription and let you make an educated choice.” — William Chancellor, Eye Can See Eyewear, McDonough, GA
• Take care of your patients and the rest takes care of itself. — Paul Pascarella, OD, Pascarella Eye Care & Contact Lenses, Newtown, PA
• You can’t control what you can’t control! — Kim Hilgers, Monson Eyecare Center, Owatonna, MN
• It’s okay to be smart but better to be kind. — Kevin Count, Prentice Lab, Glenview, IL
• The Law of Attraction. Positive mind, positive results. — Elizabeth Reid, Vision Associates, Hayes, VA
• Change your Look! Change your Outlook! — Steve Whitaker, Whitaker Eye Works, Wayne, PA
• Pour yourself into wherever God plants you. — Pam Peters, Midwest Eye, Downers Grove, IL
• 80% of what you worry about never happens. — Paula Hornbeck, Eye Candy & Eye Candy Kids, Delafield, WI
• Be happy, it drives other people crazy! — Nicole Leonard, Custom Eye Care, San Antonio, TX
• Worry only about what you can control. — Travis LeFevre, Krystal Vision, Logan, UT
• Smile and be happy. — Chris Cordes, Fischer Laser Eye Center, Marshall, MN
• Eyecare with Style. — Adam Ramsey, OD, Socialite Vision, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
• Just be yourself and take care of people how you would take care of family and friends. — Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
• The glass is always full! With a liquid and air! — Ron Catterson, Clear View Optix, The Villages, FL
• PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). — Sherry Berry, Eye Against Eye, Aston, PA
• Do the right thing and do the best you possibly can. — Susan Spencer, Council Eye Care, Williamsville, NY
• I have many, but my current favorite is “Do what’s right, and do it right” – Akira Matsumoto. — Pablo E Mercado, Optima Eye Care, Alpharetta, GA
• We kick ass. — Bret Hunter, Sports Optical, Denver, CO
• For life, it’s “Go big or go home.” For work, it’s “Work smarter, not harder.” — Christine Howard, Attleboro Vision Care, Attleboro, MA
• Don’t eat yellow snow. — Richard Frankel, OD, Atlantic Cape Eyecare, Wildwood, NJ
• Take care of the patient, your employees and the business, in that order, and everything will be alright. — Miguel Rodriguez, Fava & Maria Eye Associates, Lebanon, PA
• This too shall pass. — Jeff Grosekemper, Casa De Oro Eyecare, Spring Valley, CA
• Treat patients the way I would want to be treated. — Texas L. Smith, OD, Dr. Texas L. Smith & Associates, Citrus Heights, CA
• I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, and make the world a better place. (I was a Girls Scout…) — Jennifer Leuzzi, Mill Creek Optical, Dansville, NY
• Every patient helps us stay in business so we treat them all with appreciation for their business. — Becki Martin, Harrington Vision Center II, Florence, SC
• Vision Is Everything. — Selina McGee, OD, Precision Vision, Edmond, OK
• Efficient, fun and family friendly. — Amina Ebrahim, OD, D Vision Eyecare, Allen, TX
• What’s good for the patient is good for the practice. — Bethany Cassar, Complete Eye Health, Holland, MI
• Prayer and Christian beliefs. — Elizabeth Atkinson, OD, Atkinson Eye Care, Algonquin, IL
• See a beautiful day every day! — Vittorio Mena, OD, Optical Academy, Little Ferry, NJ
• Fortune favors the bold. — Chris Lopez, OD, Roberts Eyecare Associates, Vestal, NY
• Never say “no.” — Alissa Irons, OD, BLINK, Albuquerque, NM
• Where Vision and Style Collide! — Dave Schultz, OD, Urban Optics, San Luis Obispo, CA
• Whatever it takes. — Harry Roth, eyeQ Opticians, Millburn, NJ
• “Nothing Good Comes Easy.” Work smart, stay focused and you will see a positive result. — Robert M. Easton Jr, OD, FAAO, Oakland Park, FL

No: 37%

• We haven’t really tried to come up with one yet. — Katie Billman, Meridian Family Eyecare, Meridian ID
• I haven’t found one that resonates. — Danielle Doniver, Heritage Optical, Detroit, MI
• I’ve often done those “Word of the Year” things, where you pick a word that is supposed to define your year and give you inspiration. Much like New Year’s Resolutions, they don’t last very long. Basically I just try to work hard and be nice to people. — Amber Fritsch, OD, Precision Eye Care, Mt. Juliet, TN
• I have a business plan set up weekly, monthly, and yearly to follow. Changes are made as needed. — BJ Chambers, Carrera Optical, McQueeney, TX
• My mantra changes the longer I’m in this business! — Angel Miller, Cynthiana Vision Center, Cynthiana, KY
• I probably do on any given day… I just can’t keep one for very long, always too excited about the next one I pick up. — Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
• Haven’t found one that fits. — Judy Scheuerell, Fox Valley Family Eye Care, Little Chute, WI
• Haven’t found the right one yet. — Denise Robertson, Washington State University Vision Clinic, Pullman, WA
• It keeps changing. — Rick Pascucci, Towpath Vision Care, Clinton, NY
• I’ve never seen a need for a mantra. I guess if I had one it would be something like “try not to be a big B to people.” — Frances Ann Layton, Eye Associates of South GA, Valdosta, GA