As a chiropractic coach it is my mission to help chiropractors reach the level of success they are looking for and to create their dream wellness practice.  For some, that is a small retirement practice, and others it is to manage a high-volume practice that serves hundreds of people each week. Either way, part of my role is to help chiropractors clearly define what they want and then to help them get it.

When looking for big changes in life, whether different results in practice, or in helping the people you serve to make changes in their personal lifestyle there is a key element to remember: small things lead to big things.  It is the consistency of action on small things that will get you the big results you are looking for.  You can’t climb a mountain in one stride ~ it’s one inch at a time. Without keeping this in mind, it is easy to get frustrated at any moment with your progress. Without a coach, it is difficult to see the forest for the trees.

One of my mentors, Robin Sharma, uses this quote with high-powered executives to get them to live great lives and run world-class businesses, “Small daily acts of greatness lead to stunning results.” 

Your frustrations with your progress in practice are the same as your practice member’s frustrations with their progress and results.  It is not only powerful to remind them of this concept, but to remind yourselves as well.  

1. Know what you are working towards – have a clear vision.

2. Have a plan to get there. 

3. Take small actions steps daily and over time you will create the life and practice of your dreams.  If you improve 1% each day for 30 days, you will have made a 30% leap forward (not including compound improvements). Be better today than yesterday.

Here is BJ’s quote on The Big Idea to really hit this home.  Found in Chapter 1 in Volume XVIII, otherwise known as The Subluxation Specific-The Adjustment Specific:

“A slip on the snowy sidewalk in winter is a small thing. It happens to millions. A fall from a ladder in the summer is a small thing. It also happens to millions. The slip or fall produces a subluxation. The subluxation is a small thing. The subluxation produces pressure on a nerve. That pressure is a small thing. That decreased flowing produces a dis-eased body and brain. That is a big thing to that man.

Multiply that sick man by a thousand, and you control the physical mental welfare of a city. Multiply that man by one hundred thirty million, and you forecast and can prophesy the physical and mental status of a nation. So the slip or fall, the subluxation, pressure, flow of mental images and dis-ease are big enough to control the thoughts and actions of a nation.

Now comes a man. And one man is a small thing. This man gives an adjustment. The adjustment is a small thing. The adjustment replaces the subluxation. That is a small thing. The adjusted subluxation releases pressure upon nerves. That is a small thing. The released pressure restores health to a man. This is a big thing to that man.

Multiply that well man by a thousand, and you step up the physical and mental welfare of a city. Multiply that well man by a million, and you increase the efficiency of a state. Multiply that well man by a hundred thirty million, and you have produced a healthy, wealthy, and better race for posterity. So, the adjustment of the subluxation to release pressure upon nerves, to restore mental impulse flow, to restore health, is big enough to rebuild the thoughts and actions of the world.

The idea that knows the cause, that can correct the cause of dis-ease, is one of the biggest ideas known. Without it, nations fall; with it, nations rise.

This idea is the biggest I know of”.

Stick to the small things that will create big things!

Photo Credit: Jamen Rhodes Photography/ Climber: Chris Meyer (my brother)!

Tags: Action Plan, Big Things, BJ Palmer, consistency, Dreams, Frustrations, Goals, Progress, Results, Robin Sharma, Small Things, Success, The Big Idea, wellness chiropractic practice management

As St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone and the green beer hangovers are just a memory, it has left me pondering the concept of “luck”.  Is success in life a matter of luck?

In a wellness model of practice, a great concept to get across to people is that Health Is Not a Matter of Luck. It depends on their commitment and consistent action towards it that creates change and sustained health.  If you didn’t run an internal promotion in your office for St. Patrick’s Day this year, put it in your marketing calendar for next!

In the same sense, success doesn’t just happen to people who want it, but sit around and wait for it.  Success is not luck, karma or circumstance.  Could they be factors in your success?  Sure.  But success is created by you knowing where you are, knowing what you want and where you want to be and then making a plan of action to get there.  Oh, and the big secret:  it depends on your commitment and consistent action towards success.

Forget what success means to anyone else, it’s about how you define success that matters.  We need to know what it is before we can create it.  So work with your friend, colleague, or coach to figure out what it is to you and then do what it takes to go and get it.  If you are not as successful as you want to be, time to create it!

Tags: action, commitment, consistency, create, Dreams, luck, responsibility, st. patrick's day, Success

I don’t know about you, but I am getting really negative with all the negativity in the world. The media, the markets, the general consensus, even with chiropractors… I am tired of it. 

I recognize it’s a hard battle not to get sucked into the negativity. All the nay-sayers, the fear-mongers and the ones who say it’s not possible. I catch myself and course correct when I feel myself getting beat down by the attitudes and beliefs of society. I feel the pull to the ‘dark side’ and to say I keep it at bay 100% of the time would be a lie.

But I am ready to take a stand against the status quo. Against what ‘everybody’ thinks or what ‘everybody’ knows. Against what society says is possible and to live BIG, not when the external environment is supportive of leadership, but now, when things are tough. Why? Because you and I deserve a magnificent life. And because we were not put here on this earth to be mediocre.

Maybe it’s just my personality that when somebody says ‘that can’t be done’ I’ll do my best to do that very thing. Not out of spite (well I do have an anti-authoritarian nature), but to show them what’s possible. So the next time someone tells you that your goals and dreams are unrealistic, that it’s impossible to succeed at what you are setting out to accomplish, say, “Watch me”. There are always people doing what others said was ‘impossible’. Are you ready to be that person? I know I am.

The time is now to take a stand. It’s time to remember your dreams, find the fire inside, get creative, get curious, think outside the box and take risks. Because the people of the world need hope not negativity. And chiropractors are the ones to bring it to them. If you don’t, who will?

Tags: Dreams, Leadership, Negativity, Positivity, Status Quo

I’m not into New Year’s Celebrations as the biggest night of the year.  And I’m not into New Year’s Resolutions.  I am into reflecting on the past year, looking at my wins, challenges, good times and bad.  I am also into setting my intentions and goals for the upcoming year.  And the trick is to write your intentions in a way that they trigger action.  Because life is short.  And you never know when it is going to end (sorry, but it’s true).  ”On our deathbeds, our biggest regrets are all about the dreams we didn’t do, the love we didn’t give and the places we didn’t see” (Robin Sharma). 

So for the first few weeks of 2009 I’ve been reflecting on what I want to look back on at the end of this year.  (I normally do this before New Year’s but I was surfing in Costa Rica and lost track of the days leading up to New Year’s)!  My big question is, “How can I make 2009 my best year yet”?  If we we take the time to decide how we want to reflect on our year once it’s over, we will develop stronger action-oriented goals.  Just like high performing individuals take the time to decide what do they want to reflect on at the end of their lives and then live that way, with those priorities and goals going forward.

One of my mentors and coaches, Robin Sharma talks about The Big Five.  The Big Five are the 5 most difficult animals to hunt in Africa (lion, leopard, rhino, cape buffalo and elephant).  He refers to The Big Five as the 5 most important (albeit difficult) things you need to do to make 2009 your best year yet!

What do you need to do in your personal life to ensure that 2009 is your best year?  Perhaps it is get in better shape to be the role model of health and well being? Perhaps it is repair some relationships and re-prioritize your family life?  What do you need to do socially, economically and spiritually to make this the single best year of your life to date?

What about your practice?  Are you able to clear your head from the downturn economy and fear-based media and thrive, rather than just survive this year in practice?  What will it take to get your head in the game and start serving more people, who need you now more than ever?  Maybe you are ready to take your practice from a symptom-oriented approach to a true wellness approach.  Do you need to improve your communications with your clients?  Take your Visit 1 and Visit 2 to the next level?  How about your Re-Assessments and Daily Interactions?  Would you like to learn how to “teach under the radar” instead of lecturing people who just don’t ever seem to ‘get it’?  Do you need better retention? More new people?  More internal referrals? Do you need to plug the holes in your bucket? Do you need some support or coaching to do it?

Write down your Big Five and look at them everyday. Take the actions necessary to accomplish your Big Five on a daily basis by creating your Daily Five action steps.  For example, if your Big Five includes (like mine does) “to be in the best shape of my life” by the end of 2009, then included in my Daily Five must be “exercise” to move me toward the end-of-year big goal.  We all have giant To-Do lists for the many projects in our lives.  Without prioritizing the Top 5 things that need to be accomplished before bed and that will have the most impact to move you towards your Big Five, it is easy to get overwhelmed and and procrastinate.  Action is the key to getting what you want.

Together, let’s make make 2009 your best year yet!

Tags: Aspirations, Dreams, Goals, New Year, Resolutions