Crazy vs. Sane
Crazy vs. Sane: The Power of Words with Patients and Customers
There’s something timeless about Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” Her voice is smooth, and the lyrics capture an emotional vulnerability we can all relate to. I love that song—it resonates deeply. But when it comes to the word "crazy" in today’s world, I find it loses its charm.
Oxford Dictionary defines crazy as "mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way." It’s not a pretty description, and yet, it’s become part of our daily vernacular. I hear it all the time:
"The office has been crazy busy!"
"My schedule is crazy; I can’t commit to anything right now."
Crazy seems to be the go-to word for anything that feels overwhelming, chaotic, or unmanageable. But have you stopped to think about what we’re really saying? When we describe our offices as “crazy,” it implies that we’re overwhelmed, disorganized, or even out of control. It suggests to our teams and our patients that we may not be trustworthy or reliable. This is certainly not the image we want to project in a professional setting. It’s worth considering the impact this language has on your business and how it may influence how you’re perceived by others.
When you think about your staff’s patient interactions, how many times are they speaking the word "crazy" throughout the day? Is it part of their conversations without much thought? Further - are they right? Is your office so chaotic and unpredictable that the word “crazy” is a little too accurate? This doesn’t have to be the case.
Imagine if we shifted our focus to the opposite of crazy—sane. Sane is defined as "of sound mind, mentally healthy, reasonable, and exercising good judgment." Isn’t that what we should be striving for in our lives, both personally and professionally? Would you rather work for someone who is “crazy busy” or someone who is calm, collected, and reasonable?
It’s almost as if the word "crazy" has replaced "multitasking" in today’s busy culture. We glorify being “crazy busy” as though it’s a badge of honor, a sign that we’re more productive, more successful. But are we? Is being overwhelmed and frazzled a reflection of true productivity, or are we just burning ourselves out in the name of busyness?
In fact, the next step up from “crazy busy” would be "insane," "lunatic," or "crazed"—descriptions that none of us would want to apply to ourselves or our businesses.
Let’s be sane. Let’s strive for balance, reason, and sound judgment. Instead of glorifying the chaotic, let’s celebrate the mindful, the thoughtful, the calm. At the end of the day, isn’t that who we’d rather be—and who we’d rather work with? It’s already hard to retain great staff. And great patients that prioritize returning to our offices time and again are just as good as gold. They all want and deserve a sane office. And despite what you’ve been conditioned to believe, a sane office is possible and profitable.
If you prefer sane over crazy, visit www.dynamicdentalscheduling.com and get more resources to keep crazy out of your life and workplace and replace it with sane, balanced, calm.