Texas Independence Day

Howdy everybody. March 2nd is a very important day for Texas, it commemorates that day that the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed, and Texas decided to go out on its own. I don’t think any Texan would question the notion that we are a very independent state even today. Texas goes its own way and strives to respect the freedom of its residents. The freedom and identity of Texas came at great cost to those who were willing to sacrifice for the ideals of freedom, and we get to enjoy the fruit of those efforts today.

As most of us know, the state of Texas has a bit of convoluted history that led it to where it is today. I do believe that it is a great example of what it means to have freedom. Texas, while spending some time as a sovereign state, later decided to be annexed by United States and become part of something bigger. Texas gave up its sovereignty in order to preserve the freedoms of the people that lived there. It almost seems counterintuitive, but by doing so, Texas protected its freedom by joining a group and giving up some privileges but maintained its own distinct identity.

What an incredible parallel for us as members of Texas State Optical. Our group strives to help independent optometrists thrive and have the freedom that success can grant us. We came together as a group to share a common name and to create a better way for each of us to practice.

I think at times we struggle a bit on giving up a little bit of our privileges to build greater freedom and success for all. It once again seems counterintuitive that by giving up some options, we can actually be more free. As a group, we can have great power and influence in the optical world with vendors, patients, and colleagues. Unfortunately, in a lot of ways we are currently squandering that power by an inability to work together.

At the board level, we have been deliberating, often times quite passionately, on how to leverage our influence as a group of independent optometrists to the greatest advantage to each and every clinic. It is not an easy task. At Family Reunion this year, we plan to present some changes to the network which can help each and everyone of us to enjoy more freedom through greater success at our clinics. I look forward to seeing everyone there.