There are thousands of practicing chiropractors, with more graduating every year, all of them learning the same basic technical skills to apply the science of chiropractic.
When you graduate, how will you distinguish yourself from these other doctors? Your one unique attribute is your own mind and the outlook you have on the world.
Struggling doctors always are in a state of lack. Their self talk always is negative; they never have enough new patients, money or quality of life. They can't afford to invest in themselves. They actually cling to negativity and at every opportunity will always tell you how bad everything really is. Champions are too busy walking the talk and being productive. They always are promoting themselves and finding new and innovative ways to expand their practice. They live and breathe the profession of chiropractic. They know that all success comes from the neck up.
Success leaves clues; you have to be observant enough to find them. What you hear, you forget; what you see, you remember; what you do, you understand. Doing the following actions guarantees you success. Invest in yourself, believe in yourself and you will no longer be the poor struggling doctor. Here's how to begin your journey to becoming a chiropractic champion.
The Process of Manifestation
The process of manifestation determines how you create your reality and practice success. It goes like this:
T→F→A = R
Thoughts lead to feelings. Feelings lead to actions. Actions lead to results.
You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if your "blueprint" for success isn't set in the right direction, you're doomed. The first step of all change is awareness. Watch yourself, observe your thoughts, fears, beliefs, habits, actions and even your inactions. Study yourself and make positive changes accordingly.
No thought lives in your head rent-free. Each thought you have will either be an investment or a cost. It will either move you toward success or away from it. It will either empower you or disempower you. That's why it's imperative that you choose your thoughts and beliefs wisely. You can choose to think and act like a champion to create successful results.
Think Big
The Law of Income states that you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the marketplace. The key word is value. It's important to know that four factors determine your value in the marketplace: supply, demand, quality and quantity. The factor that presents the biggest challenge is the quantity. The quantity factor simply means how much of your value do you actually deliver to the marketplace? Another way of stating this is, how many patients do you actually serve or affect?
Do you know the definition of an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is a person who solves problems for people at a profit. That's right, an entrepreneur is nothing more than a "problem solver." That's exactly what you are! People will come to see you because they have a health problem and they are looking for you to fix it. So I ask you, would you rather solve more problems for more people or fewer people? If you answered "more," then you need to start thinking bigger and decide to help massive numbers of people. The by-product is that the more people you help, the more successful you become.
Most people choose to think small. Why? Fear. They're scared of failure and they're even more frightened of success. They feel unworthy. They don't feel they're good enough or important enough to make a real difference in people's lives. Listen up! Your life is not just about you. It's also about contributing to others. If you want to be a chiropractic champion, it can't only be about you. It has to include adding value to other people's lives. Big thinking and big actions lead to having both success and meaning. The choice is yours.
Focus on Opportunities
An obstacle is something you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Champions see opportunities. Naysayers see obstacles. I'm not talking about positive thinking here; I'm talking about your perspective on the world. Struggling doctors make choices based upon fear. Their minds constantly are looking for what is wrong or could go wrong in any situation. Their primary mind-set is "What if it doesn't work" or more often, "It won't work."
Because they constantly see opportunity, champions are willing to take educated risks. This means that they research, do their due diligence and make decisions based on facts and solid information. They then make an informed decision to go for it. Champions understand you can never know all the information beforehand. Get ready the best you can in as short a time as possible; take action; then correct along the way. What you focus on expands. Your focus determines what you find in life. Take responsibility for the results in your life and act upon the mind-set, "It will work because I'll make it work."
Success Leaves Clues
Champions look at other successful doctors as a means to motivate them. They see other successful doctors as a model to learn from. They say to themselves, "If they can do it, I can do it." They are grateful that others have succeeded before them so that they now have a blueprint to follow, making it easier to attain their own success. Why reinvent the wheel? There are proven methods for practice success that work for virtually everyone who applies them.
The fastest and easiest way to create success is to learn exactly how other doctors do it. The goal is to simply model their strategies. If you take the exact same actions and have the same mind-set, chances are good you will get similar results. Winners hang around with winners. Get comfortable spending time with highly successful people. It will keep you motivated to strive for more and set your sights on higher achievements. Stay away from negativity.
Promote Yourself and Your Value
Here's a reality check for you. You are not a doctor, you are a salesperson. You have to sell yourself and your services; otherwise you go out of business. Resenting promotion is one of the greatest obstacles to success. People who have issues with selling and promotion are usually broke. How can you create a large income in your practice if you aren't willing to let people know you or your service?
Some people feel that promotion is beneath them. They call this the high-and-mighty syndrome, otherwise known as the "aren't-I-so-special?" attitude. The feeling in this case is that if people want what you have, they should somehow find and come to you. Doctors who have this belief are either broke or soon will be. Champions are always excellent promoters. They can and are willing to promote their services and their ideas with passion and enthusiasm.
The major point here isn't whether you like to promote or not; it is why you're promoting. It boils down to your beliefs. Do you really believe in your value? Do you really believe in the service you're offering? Do you really believe that what you have will be of benefit to whomever you're promoting it? If you believe that what you have to offer can truly assist people, it's your duty to let as many people as possible know about it. That's really what this is all about, marketing your services and getting patients in the front door. You can't heal them if they don't come to see you.
Think "Both," Not "Either/Or"
Champion doctors live in a world of abundance. Struggling doctors live in a world of limitations. Of course, both live in the same physical world, but the difference is in their perspective. Negative doctors come from scarcity. They live by mottos such as "There's only so much to go around, there's never enough, and you can't have everything." Do you want a successful chiropractic office? You can. Do you want to focus on business or have fun and play? You can have both. Do you want to earn good money and do the work you love? You can! Negative doctors always choose one; champion doctors choose both.
Until you can show you can handle what you've got, you won't get any more! If you don't think you can build a million-dollar practice, you won't. If you don't think people will pay cash for your services, they won't. Simply stated, if you don't put a value on your services, somebody else will. The universe has a funny way of delivering exactly what you ask from it. If you don't get the answer you want, ask a different question!
Sure, challenges are out there, but champions work around those challenges. They make up for any challenge by rendering quality care and living in the moment. Struggling doctors are always wishing and waiting for things to change and get better. Instead of waiting for change, champions make change. The very best way to predict the future is to create it. Experience is just the name we give our failures. If you learn from the experience, nothing is a failure. It's all in how you look at it. A champion looks at failure as a result.
Challenge the little voice in your head whenever it tells you "I can't" or "I don't want to" or "I don't feel like it." Don't allow this fear-based, comfort-based voice to get the better of you. Make a pact with yourself that whenever the voice tries to stop you from doing something that would be supportive to your success, you will do it anyway. Show your mind you are the boss, not it. Success is a learnable skill. You can learn to succeed at anything. The future is yours; now reach out and take it!
Click here for more information about Perry Nickelston, DC, FMS, SFMA.