There is an uncomfortable truth that few like to admit or at least do so out loud.
We are not always at our best. There are times that, as much as we try, we cannot achieve the results that we had hoped for - the results that we know are normally well within our skill set.
If you have not been there, I certainly have, and it is not a comfortable place.
The third impression that no amount of attention and determination can come out, and no cord, hemostatic agent, nor intra-papillary injections will tame the irritated tissue.
The more I try to relax and focus, the more my whole body just tenses up.
The flap that I cannot get tension free enough to stabilise the graft, and the more finesse I attempt to apply, my fingers just grow into thumbs.
The Class 2 contact that just will not conform or close.
The anatomy of the anterior composites that keep getting worse at every attempt to refine...
Fortunately, it does not happen too often-but it DOES happen. It can batter our egos, and make us question our abilities and decisions. It is a hard lesson to take.
As we learn, grow and adapt to the repetition of these challenges though, these bumps and potholes in the road become familiar and we can navigate them more easily. They just become the comfortable hum of the road that we travel with confidence. But that confidence and second nature comes with commitment, repetition and patience.What I have learned is that excellence is not an event but a journey, and the road is not always so smooth.
And that is how our A-Game is developed
It is said, when you find yourself trapped in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging. Sometimes, the greatest aspect of our A-Game is knowing when to step back and leave the accomplishment of excellence for another day.
