Failure Is an Option

Episode #415 with Dr. Jim Otten

No one does perfect dentistry — no one. Failures can happen, even when you do the best work possible. So, why are dentists obsessed with perfection? Failure has its benefits, and Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Jim Otten, co-instructor of Global Diagnosis Education, to share the lessons he learned from failing so you can develop a healthy mindset and attitude for when things don't go as planned. Each failure can be a step to success! To take the first step, listen to Episode 415 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Failure is going to happen, eventually.

Each failure can be a step to success.

Be willing to take risks and next steps.

Focus on the most important things.  

Manage your patients’ expectations.

Quotes:

“In dentistry, we can have a bit of ambiguity tolerance. Can't we? We can have failure. We will experience failure at some level. I always loved the quote that Jack Nicklaus had. He was talking about any round of golf he played in his professional career, and he said, ‘Of the shots that I take, of the 67, 70 strokes that I take, maybe two of them are exactly the way I wanted in that round. The rest of it is to miss it well.’ So, if he was to have that perfection mindset of, ‘I have to hit every shot perfect. It has to fall exactly where I want it,’ he would've never achieved what he achieved. And every dentist should think the same way.” (6:50—7:33)

“If you don't pull the trigger and take imperfect action, be willing to take imperfect action and risk — minimize your risk, now, but risk — you'll never grow.” (7:36—7:48)

“All of us suffer, in some way, from our limitations that we have around our thoughts and our ability. And oftentimes, we get frozen.” (7:51—8:03)

“The best lessons in life I ever learned were from the biggest failures I had, because they challenge you to reach down into your core, discover who you are, and how you're going to reframe the rest of your future and move forward.” (8:28—8:44)

“If you don't like the game you're in, it’s like Scott O'Neil says, change the game. It’s time to change the game. If you don't like what you're doing, if you're not satisfied, if you're not feeling enriched by this, it’s time to change the game. Well, how do you do that? You have to be willing to take risks, and you have to be willing to take the next step.” (11:11—11:29)

“The first step, I think, is a matter of awareness. And when I say that, I think about the quote that Maya Angelou has. She says, ‘If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you look forward, do so prayerfully. But the wisest course is to be present in the present, gratefully.’ And I think that's the first step, is to allow yourself the forgiveness for anything that you are trying to pull forward from the past. That's done. If you did your best and it didn't work out, it didn't work out. And your future is something that you certainly want to focus on. But be present in the moment. What can you do each day?” (17:23—18:17)

“You have the time that you create. You have control. And it really depends on your level of passion and commitment, whether you're willing to take time to start making progress. So, it sounds harsh, but we all have the same amount of time, and we all have the same structure of time. It just depends on how you want to use it.” (20:35—21:03)

“I always wanted to be the best I could be. I always wanted to be my best and try to do my best. And I noticed that my best effort, in similar circumstances, wasn't working out as good on some patients as in others. And I started thinking, ‘What's going on? I'm doing the same things, same techniques, got the same preps, making the same impressions, using the same materials, using the same lab. This patient’s doing good. This one’s breaking teeth.’...