Transforming career failures into valuable learning opportunities is a crucial skill for personal and professional growth. Here is a (Personal Story) depicting the pros and cons of failure and how to transform it into a powerful long-term mindset toward success.

You can transform career failures into valuable learning opportunities

Transforming career failures into valuable learning opportunities is a crucial skill for personal and professional growth. Here is a (Personal Story) depicting the pros and cons of failure and how to transform it into a powerful long-term mindset toward success.

Back in 2008, during my leadership as President and Founder of the IPENO Foundation – INTERNATIONAL POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION HEALTH CENTER for Oral Education and Social Dental Welfare in Bolivia – South America, I initiated a (Senior Program) to provide 55 senior patients with dental implant-supported overdentures to replace their missing teeth. The goal was to improve their dental health, overall health, and quality of life. I managed to negotiate a donation of 110 dental implants and corresponding prosthetic abutments from a Brazilian Dental Implant Manufacturer. Additionally, I partnered with a local dental lab to craft the dentures at a discount. With enough residents and staff at IPENO, we were poised to undertake this incredible community outreach project.

But I didn’t foresee certain Big mistakes

 

    1. First, I didn’t anticipate the overwhelming demand for such high-quality dental care, especially offered for free. Yes, we did it for Free. Instead of serving the projected 55 patients, we ended up treating 330 senior patients in one year. While this program became our annual star program, it came with a hefty price tag I was not prepared for, plunging me into debt for three years.

    1. Second, after successfully delivering the overdenture for one of the first patient’s jaws, we realized we hadn’t considered the occlusion (the bite). Patients needed matching teeth on the opposing jaw to properly bite, chew, and eat. This oversight meant we had to expand the project to include partial prostheses for the opposing jaw, ensuring each of the 330 senior patients walked out with a full mouth restoration. This titanic task filled the hearts and souls of Everyone at the IPENO Foundation and created an enormous sense of belonging for all.

However, the financial strain was significant. We had to buy over 550 additional dental implants and corresponding prosthetic abutments, cover the extra dental lab bill for 330 partial prostheses, and pay for the additional 275 overdentures not previously accounted for. This included covering overtime for residents and staff, as well as additional impression materials, root canals, crowns, and other necessary treatments. The debt was overwhelming, and I feared it would crush our dream. Instead, it became the most fantastic, incredible, and inspirational life lesson I ever learned:

Plan for The Best and Prepare for the Worst

We were pioneers in community dentistry outreach to those most in need, having founded the very first postgraduate dental program in the country. Despite lacking millionaire support, our hard work, passion, dedication, and determination drove us forward. To my joyful surprise, this program became the cornerstone of our identity in the city and country. We dominated postgraduate education and community dental services for ten years, from 2006 to 2015. Our Senior Program continued annually since 2008, each year surpassing our projected patient numbers. It was chaotic and beautiful!

Yes, we incurred debt, but we paid it off and grew stronger. “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going”. We huddled together, figured out how to raise more funds, and expanded our program. Declining service to a patient due to lack of preparation or scarce funds became an embarrassment and shame we vowed never to face again. That vision became my Knight’s Templar Cross to bear, For Ever!

To Always Be Prepared!

Dr. Alan Arturo Zarzar

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