Orthotown January/February 2023 - 51

all going to be relative to what you see as your
" 10 " for each category. Don't overthink it and
just put down the number that feels right. Th is is
subjective and there's no way to be exact.
Now look at the answers you put down. If you
put " 10 " for all of them, kudos, but you may want
to look a little deeper at your answers. If you're
like me, you'll almost instantly see the places
where you could use a little help.
For instance, my highest score was a 9, for
" escape " (I'm really good at turning off when
necessary), but I gave myself only a 2 when it
came to " friends. " Why so low? I have a ton of
friends, but they're scattered all over the country
and I don't get to see them or spend quality time
with them. It's a tough spot in my life and the 2
refl ects how much more I'd like to see and spend
time with them.
Step 2 Pick one way to
improve your score
Now that you've given yourself a number in each
of the 10 categories, write down one thing you
could do better to raise yourself just one point in
each category. I'm not asking you what you need
to do to go from a 2 to a 10-what would it take
for you to go from a 2 to a 3?
For instance, using my " friends " category
above, I wrote, " Try to connect weekly with
friends I don't get to see regularly. " Th at's it. It
doesn't need to be, " Fly to New York and see
friends " or, " Organize a get-together in wine
country. " Sure, those are great things, but are
you really looking to just jump into that, and is
it readily achievable? I reached out to my two
closest childhood friends and we scheduled a
video call for an hour where we could catch up.
Nothing huge or tough to achieve-just a Zoom
call, which incidentally refreshed my soul.
Th e goal is to list one thing you can do in the
coming weeks that will give you a " +1 " increase
in the score in each category. Th is is not the time
to try to climb mountains-just take baby steps
to start-and there's no need to try to plus-one
every category at once. Pick one every day and focus
on that one. Raise yourself up a little bit, and
you can do more than one in a day if you want to.
For instance, one of my actions is to simply
stop working on the computer, walk downstairs
and give my kids a hug from time to time. It
sounds so simple, but when I'm deep in thought
or process and I hear my teenagers downstairs, it
would be easy to just keep working. But mindfulness
gets me to stop, get up, fi nd them, give them
a hug and tell them how much I love them and
how proud of them I am. Th at doesn't make me
father of the year, but it balances me in the same
way I pause while trying to make one conscious
good food choice per day.
Conclusion
Is perfect balance achievable? I don't know, but
what I can tell you is that taking continuous,
well-thought-out and scheduled baby steps in my
life helps me feel as if every day is helping me get
closer to achieving my best self in a healthy way. I
hope it works for you too. OT
Dr. Glenn Krieger graduated from dental school in
1992 and moved to Seattle in 1996, where he established
a solo boutique practice. After 20 years as a restorative
and cosmetic dentist, Krieger returned to residency to
become an orthodontist. A diplomate of the American
Board of Orthodontics, he maintains a private orthodontic
practice in Lewisville, Texas.
Krieger has presented to thousands of dentists in North
America, has been published in textbooks and dental
periodicals, and has been named a " Top Clinician
in Continuing Education " nine times. He also is the
administrator of Orthopreneurs, a group dedicated
to helping orthodontists run their practices with an
entrepreneurial bent, and is a member of Orthotown's
editorial advisory board.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 | 51 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
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Orthotown January/February 2023

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