There is a common thread between winners and losers. That thread is attitude. I have one client who will do in the range of seven million this year. Yes, seven million. Health care is a trillion dollar industry and we are positioned nicely. The world wants health care, which is what we offer in a disease conscious society. Martin Luther King had a dream; he dreamed of a day for racial equality. I have a dream; I dream that one day the ICA and ACA will come together and join forces on one common goal: chiropractic equality.
I dream that Medicare will have the same pay schedule for DC’s as it does for MD’s. Today MD’s get paid for X-rays; they get paid for therapy. Medicare will not even pay the chiropractor for the same X-ray they will pay the MD for. This is not fair. Now we can whine about it, or we can stand up and be heard. Medicare pays physical therapists for the same therapy we are not paid for. Yet, if we refer the patient, the PT gets paid. They are not doctors, did not go through the same education; yet they get paid for services we provide in our office, for which we do not get paid. There should only be one set of politics in our profession: EQUALITY. I have a dream this day will come.
“If your dream is a big dream, and if you want your life to work on the high level that you say you do, there’s no way around doing the work it takes to get you there.” ~ Joyce Chapman
What do winners all have in common? Young or old…male or female…black, white or somewhere in between…winners ALL have a positive and optimistic attitude.
Have you ever seen a monument erected for a pessimist?!
No, I haven’t either! Winners know they will win. Winning becomes a lifestyle. Winners never whine and whiners never win. As a profession, we need to take a stand. Call and write your organizations, run for office, talk to your congressman. The next time you are asked for a contribution, send it with a letter. My father once said the road to success is always under construction. Let’s build something great; let’s build a platform for health and rehabilitation. A platform accepted by all insurance companies equally and affordable to all who need our services.
Beyond a Winning Attitude
If you want to win more often, make sure your attitude is burning with intensity. It’s the difference between merely playing at winning, and unleashing the “winner within.” Take a look at how far you have come so far this year. Now, take a moment to reflect. Whether you see fifty people a week or five hundred, look at where you were in prior years.
I remember, as an intern, many doctors could not make their annual quota. My mentor, Dr. Donald Gutstein, had a way of pushing you to a higher level. He would never let you lower your guard. He demanded excellence. He made you succeed.
Now, in life, we must demand excellence from ourselves. As a consultant, I feel I often must act similar to a personnel trainer by pushing my doctors to move beyond their comfort zones. Where do you want your practice to go? What price are you willing to pay to make that happen? No one said that life is easy. Yes, some weeks, it is hard practicing. But, if what you are doing is not working, don’t whine about it; change it.
How much further down the road should you be—right now? Has your attitude been a perfect ten all year long? I recently came from one doctor office where the doctor wanted to grow his practice, yet he only works three day per week. I asked him how long he has been semi-retired. My first advice was to open for five days and Saturday in the morning.
“That’s too much work,” was the reply.
Being a chiropractor is a fulltime job. I see all people as potential patients. Who do you know that doesn’t need an adjustment? Who do you know that needs care? Any person not under care is a potential patient. If we are seeing twenty percent of the population, as some estimate, that leaves eighty percent for us to educate. You can’t do that in three days per week.
What do you want? What price are you willing to pay? These are huge questions with major ramifications. Give it some thought this month. Vow to transform your attitude from sometimes positive to consistently positive. Stop whining and start winning. If it’s broken, fix it. If it is subluxated, adjust it.
Do this, and your whole world will change—instantly.
A Time to Dream…
This weekend, take some time to renew your God-given right to dream! Please remember, you have the opportunity to make your dreams real…to actually LIVE the life you desire. Fairytales can come true; they can happen to you. Often we have to see it to believe it.
Anthony Robbins teaches visualization as a tool for motivation of the spirit. Dream of the office you want; see the fields full with harvest. See the world as you want it to be and then make it happen. Don’t just wish for it, do something. A goal without a plan is nothing more than a wish. Dream it, and then work the dream. Set up goals and plans to accomplish these goals.
The key is to turn your dreams into GOALS…your goals into PLANS…and your PLANS into specific ACTIONS. Right now is the perfect time to reconnect and recommit to your goals and plans. This may be the most important five minutes you will spend this week! Dream, plan, live and change, and that will allow you to grow. Visualizing is realizing. Close your eyes; let your inner eye see what it is you want. Now open your eyes. Write down what you have seen and make a plan to obtain it. Don’t be just a human being, be a HUMAN DOING.
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.