I was more than $100,000 in debt from chiropractic school, and a family member had loaned me $10,000 to start my practice. My wife and I were far from our native Texas. I didn't own a cellphone, and I couldn't afford to hire an assistant. I was the receptionist, the office manager, the doctor and the janitor. My beautiful office felt like a jail cell!
One of the local bankers took pity on me and loaned me $2,000, which helped, but after paying off a knee-deep stack of bills, I had a measly $250 left to my name. I was behind in my car payments, the rent was due, and I faced yet another boring day confined to my clinic. The twin monsters of boredom and depression had hammered me flat. One morning, as I lay my head on the steering wheel of my car, overcome with hopelessness and helplessness, I saw no way out.
To this day, I couldn't tell you how I prayed, or what I prayed for, as I sat there alone in my car. I do know one thing: My prayer was a cry of desperation. I'm not even sure how I found the strength to get out of my car, unlock that clinic door and go inside, but I did. And just as sure as I did, my prayer appeared to be answered.
I began to remember the words my mama had repeated to me all through my growing years. They carried with them a far deeper philosophy than my child's mind could have ever discerned. When my parents divorced, mama sat me down and said, "Scot, there are going to be times in life when things don't seem fair, and when life may not go right. But you can be, you can do, you can have anything in life you want - if you want it badly enough." She told me that at times, things might not go my way, and I would have to tighten my belt a few notches. "Just suck it up and step out!"
If ever there had been a time to take mama at her word, that time was now - in that lonely clinic where hundreds of patients were not breaking down my doors. I had to ask myself: What did I truly, passionately want - with every fiber of my being?
I wanted to have a successful chiropractic clinic in this little town in Oklahoma, where my only competition was one other chiropractor. I realized the choice was mine. I could sit around and continue to whine and cry, or I could "suck it up and step out!" I couldn't wait around for success to come knocking at my door. I had to go out and find it and take control of my life and my situation, if I was going to achieve any of my goals.
The first thing I did was to define what I truly wanted, which was to succeed! I spent eight years in school studying to be a chiropractor, and I wanted to be the best and most successful, but I had to get people to come into my clinic for treatment. I asked myself the next logical question: How do I attract people to my clinic? If people weren't coming to me, I had to go to them.
So, I developed a plan: Every day, I locked up the clinic for an hour and walked up and down Main Street to visit my business neighbors. I smiled and shook hands with a firm, confident handshake. "Hi, my name is Scot Knight." I never referred to myself as "doctor," and the people I greeted didn't care whether or not I was one. "I'm the new chiropractor in town. I've been in practice about two months, and I want to give you my card," I said.
After making sure my business card was firmly in a person's hand, I said, "If you know of anyone who could use chiropractic care, or if I can help you or your family out, I'd greatly appreciate the business." Up and down the streets I went. I shook hands, chatted and smiled. I asked about neighbors' kids and businesses. I developed a new motto for myself: "The more people I meet and greet, the more people I treat!"
I ordered a big box of ballpoint pens, with my clinic name and phone number printed on them. I walked into a department store with a fistful of pens and handed them out to everyone. My wife and I attended every community event we could, from ballgames, to the chamber of commerce functions, to the local Rotary Club meetings. I got to know people; people got to know me; a few began to trust me and come in for treatment. They, in turn, told their friends.
The turnaround didn't happen overnight, but it did happen, because of my faith in God, faith in myself, and faith in my mama's words. It was something I knew all along, but had somehow forgotten along the way. Unfortunately, I needed some desperate times to give my memory and my faith a little nudge. However, it was a lesson I will never forget.
I truly believe, down to the core of my being, that you can be anything in life, do anything in life and have anything in life if you:
- define your passion;
- develop a feasible plan; and
- implement that plan.
The taste of victory is far sweeter than the bitterness of defeat. I found out the hard way that I am in control of my life, whether or not I succeed. Just remember - suck it up and step out!
L. Scot Knight,DC
Round Rock, Texas