Have you ever felt that maybe you simply don’t have enough talent?I have, more than once. Let me tell you a story. It’s not about dentistry, but it could easily be about any of us.

For years, I’ve felt that my life was like climbing a mountain, David Brooks, in his book The Second Mountain, uses that metaphor to describe two major stages of life.

In March 2025, I was invited to give a lecture at the University of Coimbra, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary ... For the first time, I decided to share my story without filters: the failures, the fears, the years when things didn’t turn out as I’d hoped.

One day, a friend I deeply admire wrote to me asking for help. He was lost, in the midst of trying to find himself.. After we spoke about him, something unusual happened: I felt a genuine joy, rare in my professional life.