Earlier this week, I had a dentist appointment. I’m sitting in the chair with my headphones in, eyes closed and I sense the dentist stopped. I open my eyes, take out a headphone and he says oh you didn’t hear me. He repeats himself and says you need a root canal. I’m like okay no problem when can you do it. He then informs me that he will refer me to an endodontist that specializes in root canals since this would be a difficult tooth. I know how dentist office can be with scheduling new patients. My dentist returns about 5 minutes later with a referral slip in hand for my appointment the next day. I left my appointment, went back to work, and continued my evening routine. 
The next morning was go time. I planned to have the day off work because this wasn’t my first rodeo with a root canal and my previous experience was very painful. Just a little history regarding me and dentists: I DON’T LIKE GOING TO THEM, AND I HAVE ANXIETY WITH THEM. As I’m sitting in the endodontist office, I start getting anxious. The longer I sat there I wanted to just cancel the appointment and walk out. I didn’t have a bad wait, my thoughts just began to consume me. I quickly had to get my thoughts in check, and talk myself through this. Would my dentist recommend me to someone he didn’t trust their work? I even asked coworkers and friends if they’ve heard of this dentist and they all said he’s the best in town so why was I worrying? 

The hygienist called me back, and a few minutes later the dentist came in introduced himself and began the procedure. He talked me through every step as he was working with a very calm demeanor. He calmed my fears so much, I opened my eyes and turned my music off. I checked out with the front desk, and headed to work….yes I went to work, and stayed the remainder of the day. 

When I got settled at home last night, I began to think about the power of a referral. What normally would take weeks get an appointment, have a consultation, and then treatment, happened in less than a day. The relationship that my dentist has with the endodontist is a business relationship, but there is also trust between them. They trust each other’s work and will work their patients in. This got me to thinking who will trust my referral? A referral could be to a restaurant, a name brand, or even a job. I want to live a life where my referral can be trusted. The same way I trusted my dentist to refer me to one of the best endodontist in town, I want to be a trusted referral for a friend, family member, or stranger. Who can trust your referral?