In this episode of "Coffee Talk with Jill," Jill, founder, and owner of Jill Allen & Associates will be talking about setting goals in a slightly different way, and it has a lot to do with originality. Today’s episode is called Draw, Don’t Trace. 

When it comes to setting goals, we often follow the path that our predecessors have already laid out for us. We see their accomplishments and use them as a baseline to develop our own goals, seeking the same achievements by tracing the proven outline of their success. Today I want to encourage all you amazing orthodontists out there to draw up your own goals and avoid tracing what is already in front of you. 

I know that this can be a very comfortable thing to do. We understand that this method worked for so and so down the street; it’s proven, so it must work for me, right? Wrong. Often when we trace what others have already done, we forget about one tiny but critical thing. Your Practice Is Different! I have been consulting for a long time, and while I can say many ortho practices have similarities, they are very rarely the same. Each office has a different patient demographic, a different treatment philosophy, or a different company culture. And when we try to set goals for our practices based on what other orthodontists have done, we are often trying to make ourselves fit into a mold that doesn’t encompass the real shape of our success. 

When setting your goals for 2021, embrace your practice’s originality and use it as a defining factor. 

• Review your previous year
• Evaluate your team 
• Take into account your personal wellness 
• And finally set a goal that is specific to your practice and your practice alone 

Like any great artist, I want you to craft your own success from what you know you do best. Focus on the things that make your practice stand out and spotlight those things in your goals.Many artists take inspiration from other great works of art and thoughtfully incorporate those elements into their own masterpiece. But they never simply trace exactly what is already there. 

Create your own masterpiece in 2021; you’ve got this! 

For more tips, use the link below to watch the entire episode of Coffee Talk with Jill! 

If you would like to find out more about Jill Allen & Associates or ways we may be able to help your practice, use the contact us page to schedule a complimentary consultation with Jill!