A letter from Dr. Dargie
What does it take to achieve greatness? In the world of ATHLETICS it’s obvious. A gold medal or a world record is the pinnacle of success. It’s easily quantifiable. But in the field of AESTHETICS, many injectors aren’t fully aware of what it takes to be great. This letter tells the story of Marco Arop, an incredible athlete, friend, and mentee. I truly believe he is an excellent example that we can look to for inspiration in our respective aesthetic careers.
Marco’s success is well documented and I believe that he has earned every bit of it. His progression over the years is remarkable and he now has the chance of becoming an Olympic Champion. Most high achievers know that greatness is no accident. Greatness is gifted to no one. Success is something to which no one is simply entitled. Mastery is earned when there is accountability, grit, pain tolerance, teamwork, calculated risk-taking and staying true to one’s goals. It requires being unwavering in commitment despite all the hurdles, setbacks and failures that are inevitable on the road to victory, whatever that may look like.
Marco is just 16 days away from the ultimate test when he will step into the Stade de France in front of billions of people watching to see who will be the best 800m sprinter in the world. He steps onto the track alone, but carries all the work and preparation that he has done to get there. IG filters won’t be of any benefit to him there. He will have no friends or assistants there to pick him up should he not be ready to go at that moment. He can’t lose and say, ‘look at my 5 star google reviews that say I am the best.’ He can’t distract from being underprepared by dancing on Tik Tok. It won’t matter if he has more Facebook followers than his competitors. His talent, determination, ability, and preparedness will be on full display. It will be just Marco and the 7 other best 800m runners in the world.
This is the moment Marco has been preparing for nearly a decade. In my opinion, this competition is something every aesthetic medicine professional should watch closely. It can be used for motivation and perspective for all injectors as they set their own goals and expectations, reflect upon what they are willing to give to achieve their own successes, and to ensure their clients’ safety and results.
Marco’s goal has always been to win every race he enters. This mindset existed long before he ever started winning. Like every injector, he started from the bottom and was not remotely close to challenging those running at a National or Olympic level. He’s done this entire journey without the benefit of any security or money. He’s done it without his family around. The Olympics will be the first time his family has been able to attend one of his races. He’s done it without the financial support of a medical career to fall back upon at any second should things not go his way. He started from the bottom, and now he’s here.
His athletic journey began with his desire to be great and seeking out a proper coach to make a training plan. The more Marco put in, the more he got out. I witnessed Marco coming on the track scene in Alberta years ago. At that time he struck me as a quiet, hard working kid who was humble and kind, no different than the man he is today. He was someone with no expectation of pay or sense of entitlement to success.
His focus and hard work resulted in Provincial level wins, then a scholarship offer to Mississippi State University followed by an opportunity to compete for Team Canada at the highest level. I watched Marco from trackside at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon take his shot at victory. He led the race through 750m but lost, finishing third.
I had dinner with Marco and his coaches that night after his race. In and amongst the happiness of earning a bronze at the World Championships I sensed an authentic reflection and recalibration from Marco. He has always been modest, thoughtful, insightful and interested in learning from those around him, so I was curious about what he would do differently to prepare for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and subsequently the Olympic Games in 2024.
He did what 99.9% of the rest of the world would NOT be willing to do. Marco didn’t bask in the contentment of media attention, prize winnings and/or notoriety. He did the opposite. He quietly sought strategies for improvement. He looked for mentorship from those he trusted. He trained even harder. The result; a Gold Medal and victory at the 2023 World Championships. It doesn’t get more impressive than that. It leaves me beaming with admiration. Few things in my life have inspired me as much as what I have seen Marco do over the past two years.
Interestingly, this quality I’m referencing exists in many, but is often under-utilized. Many highly touted injectors, and for that matter, many inexperienced injectors are very content not to seek extra coaching and ongoing education, mentoring and or feedback that would help them improve. Furthermore many wouldn’t invest a dime from their well paying medical jobs to learn something new. From my international aesthetic travels, networking events, teaching thousands of injectors, injecting with and against some of the best out there, I know the importance of seeking coaching, ongoing education and having an unwavering desire to improve.
Without this mindset you will never know things like, how hard others work to attain success or mastery, whether someone taught you the wrong way and a simple technique adjustment could prevent you from risking a client’s safety, or whether a small adjustment in methodology could make injections painless. Every injector, myself included, has the opportunity to seek to be the best. Determination, mindset and commitment to ongoing learning, coaching and feedback can make this happen.
Anyone who has worked with me over the years has heard me say that greatness is earned. In aesthetics I see many of Marco’s qualities in those who have risen quickly, who are respected by colleagues and who have grown considerable patient populations that believe in them. They are typically modest and insightful. They recognize both their limitations and strengths. They are not entitled, and they constantly seek feedback while investing in more education from highly qualified experts. They are not scared to seek help or to be critiqued and they are willing to showcase their skills in front of peers.
When I look at many of our alumni, now turned ATC educators at the botox course, I see traits in each of them, similar to high level athletes trying to become great - just like Marco. Dr. Robert Dale, Dr. Sarah Hodges, Dr. Joshua Song, Dr. Brittany MacDonald, Dr. Jesse Thompson, Sarah Noble, Paula Bailey and many more on our team come to mind. They all tracked me down to gain more knowledge and training opportunities. They were curious, thoughtful, and asked for a constellation of different things from advanced rhinoplasty/thread lifting training, all the way to my suggested floral arrangement preferences and most optimal drawer size for clinic rooms! Believe me when I say, their investments have paid off substantially. I am so proud of our entire team at the botox course for these very reasons. They are the next generation of talented, passionate, and extraordinary injectors elevating the standards of aesthetics across Canada.
So my message to all that read this is simple. Set your goals and expectations correctly. Take your training and education seriously. What you put in is what you get out. Remember that pain is temporary and glory is forever. Striving to constantly be the best in aesthetics has tremendous upside, regardless of whether you inject as a hobby or are trying to be the highest volume injector. Whether it be international recognition, financial rewards, immense personal satisfaction or developing lifelong appreciative relationships with patients, always keep in mind that your hard work and investment will be rewarded on your aesthetics journey.
In essence good things happen, if we all try to be a bit like Marco.
Andrew Dargie
Please tune in on Aug 10, 2024 to cheer Marco on in his quest for Olympic Gold. Despite the most intense, gut wrenching, overwhelmingly powerful physical pain of sprinting 800m, I have no doubt Marco Arop will leave it all on the track in Paris. For anyone that might question what that pain is like, go to a running track and sprint two laps and see if you make it to the finish line. Marco does his laps in 49 and 53 seconds respectively for a time of 1 min 42 seconds. You can follow his social @marco_arop.
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