What price would you pay for success. Each month I focus on practice building components. This month’s article will focus on the five inches from temple to temple. Everyone wants to succeed, but few know how. How is that? There are so many books written on the subject. My favorite is Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. Have you read it? Why not? Go to the store; buy it; read it.
You see, success is more than a journey or a destination; it is a state of mind. Success for my son Jason is passing a test at Life University. For my wife and me, it is life itself. However, for some, it is a new car, or thirty new patients, or owning an office building. Each person will determine success within his or her own personal paradigm.
Before his passing, my good friend Ian Grassam and I would talk about success weekly. Ian was the most spiritual man I ever knew and he knew that success came from the inside out, not the outside in. Success is more than how to bill and what to bill. It is more then CPT or ICD-9 codes. Success is an inside job.
Ian gave to his family and gave to his profession. His work ethic always inspired me. I once asked Ian how one becomes successful. He said, he does whatever it takes. He went on to tell a story about the great philosopher Socrates.
One day, Socrates was walking along the Mediterranean and a young man went up to him and asked, “Socrates, how do I become successful?”
“Follow me,” he replied.
He continued to walk into the ocean and the young man followed. Soon Socrates took hold of his head and gently pushed his head under water. At first the young boy did not respond.
“Maybe he is christening me in success,” he thought.
Soon, however, he could not breathe. He struggled to get free. The harder he tried to get free of Socrates’ grasp, the harder Socrates held him down. Finally, needing air to survive, the young boy mustered all the strength in his body and flailed his arms and broke free of Socrates’ grasp.
“What? Are you crazy,” the boy shouted. “You could have killed me. I almost drowned.”
Socrates, in a calm voice, said to the boy, “When you want—no—need success as much as you did air, you will find a way to get it. You will muster all the strength and willpower in your body to achieve your task, if success is what you need to survive.”
Success, for some people, is the emotion that drives the engine of their spirit. To some, success is the core of what pushes us to press forward. What is success? Where do I find it? What is the secret formula?
Controlled emotion, focused energy
and
THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE LEAD TO
SUCCESS
Beethoven rose above deafness to compose majestic music. Stevie Wonder rose above blindness to sing his songs. Helen Keller, who could neither see, hear, nor speak for a long time, carved a place in history. Louisa May Alcott was told by an editor that she had no writing ability and should forget about attempting it. The classic Little Women came shortly thereafter. Thomas Edison never made it through high school, yet he saw the light! When Walt Disney submitted his first drawings for publication, the editor told him he had no talent—especially when it came to drawing animals.
We can learn from all people. Even a clock that doesn’t work is right twice a day.
1T + 4D = S
Talent
+ Desire
+ Dedication
+ Discipline
+ Determination
______________
= SUCCESS
Kaplan’s Success Test
Desire = How much do you want it? What price are you willing to pay? Do you want to succeed or need to succeed? DESIRE IS A RELENTLESS NEED TO SUCCEED! Do you desire success? Will you do whatever it takes?
Dedication = Doctor, outside the office, is your mind inside the success of your clinic? Is every person you meet a potential new patient? Are you willing to tell the chiropractic story? Or are you afraid they won’t like you? Afraid they won’t respect you?
Success and dedication go hand in hand. Athletes train everyday, pushing their bodies to the limit. Are you willing to pay the price? The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the extra. Are you giving the extra? GIVE THE EXTRA!! Will you do whatever it takes? Even if that means being more dedicated?
Discipline = Are you disciplined in your discipline? Are your habits healthy habits? Do you give your minimum, yet want the maximum, or give your maximum, expecting the minimum in return? Do you control your destiny or does your destiny control you? CONTROL YOUR DESTINY!! Do you have the discipline to do whatever it takes?
Determination = Are you determined to succeed? Are you determined to wake up earlier? Work harder? Study more? Will obstacles detour you or will you detour obstacles? DETOUR YOUR OBSTACLES!! Are you willing and determined to do whatever it takes?
Success = A culmination of our dreams paid for with the currency of desire, dedication, discipline, and determination—not a complex formula, but a proven one. Are you willing to do whatever it takes? Or are you looking for excuses. Success does not follow the path of least resistance. Be determined, be dedicated, be disciplined; this coupled with desire will make you DYNAMIC in every facet of your life. “It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”—SENECA
As we continue to move into this new millennium, we will continue to feel the healthcare revolution that is evolving around us. Chiropractic, a natural alternative to drugs and surgery, is caught in the midst of it. There is no escaping the future. Are you prepared? I know insurance companies, HMO’s, and PPO’s are getting you down. But, do you believe in yourself and in your profession? If you charge a fair fee, then look to collect it. If you provide inferior service, only you will pay the price. But, if you’re dynamic and follow my formula, success in every facet of your life awaits you.
Our profession has patiently waited and weathered many a storm. Remember, it takes both rain and sunshine to create a RAINBOW. Our profession is aligned with nature.
The time to institute the 4 D’s in your life has never been more prevalent. It is time to do whatever it takes. Remember, winners do what losers don’t find time to do. The formula for success is simple, but following and implementing it is another story.
Dr. Eric S. Kaplan, is CEO of Multidisciplinary Business Applications, Inc. (MBA), a comprehensive coaching firm with a successful, documented history of creating profitable multidisciplinary practices nationwide. For more information, call 561-626-3004.