According to Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, he had to rewrite his book 150-200 times until he was happy with it. And he began by imagining the end of the story, then the beginning, then the chapter headings, then the writing…over and over again. In the end, Markus had a New York Times Best Seller, with 8,000,000 million copies sold and a movie deal. 

One might be tempted to view Markus Zusak as an overnight success but knowing what I have just told you allows you to understand that’s not the truth.

So too is the case with relationship-based/health-centered dentistry. The creation of the practice takes years, starting much like Zusak’s book—beginning with the end in mind. From there, each aspect is assembled from finding and forming the right care team, to developing them, and to finding better and better ways to connect with patients: truly hearing them, understanding their struggles, and sensing their desire to feel better about themselves. 

Along the way, you will make mistakes, have misunderstandings, and outright fail. This will prompt you to rethink, revise, and redo. This is the true nature of success. We learn and move upward with better understanding. 

It has been said that the main difference between a vision and a dream is the work involved.

The later requires none. The former’s work never ends. A true vision is a principle-centered thought capsule aching to be validated by reality. It has an inherent truth built into it which must be realized. And as with Zusak, if it takes 200 revisions to make it happen, then it takes 200 revisions. So be it! 

The simple secret to success is the willingness to be flexible and to accommodate new understandings combined with a sheer force of will and perseverance that only a few are willing to make.