Winning Leaves Marks

Winning Leaves Marks

by Dr. Eric Kaplan, D.C., F.I.A.M.A.

 

Early in my chiropractic career, I wanted to know why some doctors made it and others didn’t. I wanted to know what the winners know. Winning and success go hand in hand. If you win, you are a success. So I began my journey; I began searching for the secrets of success 30 years ago. I discovered an interesting principle: success leaves marks. A wise man who had studied success for more than 50 years concluded that the greatest success principle of all was, “Learn from the experts.” I spent my time studying from the likes of Doctors James Parker, Sid Williams, Larry Markson, David Singer, Jim Gregg, John Hoffmann, Ian Grassom, and Dominick LaForte, to name a few. If there was a seminar, I was there, watching, listening observing. Winners win for a reason. There is a system to winning. Winners Learn from the Experts If you want to be a big success in any area, find out what other successful people in that area are doing, and do the same things, until you get the same results. When I studied the interviews, speeches, biographies and autobiographies of successful men and women, I found that they all had one quality in common. They were all described as being “extremely well organized, disciplined, and sincere.” They used their time very, very well. They were highly productive and they got vastly more done in the same period of time than the average person. WINNERS • Set and achieve big goals • Learn and grow from overcoming obstacles • Develop a character of persistence and unshakeable self-confidence • Get the support and cooperation of others • Focus on priorities and concentrate on key tasks • Learn the key skills required for success • Ignore “nay-sayers” and keep their eye on the prize Winners Are Both Effective and Efficient High performing men and women are both effective and efficient. They always do the right things, and they do them in the right way. No person I know is more efficient than my wife. She would not expect less from me; I love her for this. Winners are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality and quantity of their output. As a result, their contributions to their professions have a higher and, therefore, much better result than the contributions of the average person. Average to me is defined as “the best of the worst and the worst of the best.” Don’t be average in your work. In my discussions with hundreds of top doctors over the years, I have found that they all have one thing in common. They have taken the time to sit down and create a clear blueprint for themselves and their future lives. Even if they started the process of goal setting and personal strategic planning with a little skepticism, every one of them has become a true believer. Mark Victor Hansen once said, “You must state it to create it.” Winners Are True Believers Every one of them has been amazed at the incredible power of goal setting and strategic planning. Every one of them has accomplished far more than they ever believed possible in their lives and they ascribe their success to the deliberate process of thinking through every aspect of their work and their lives, and then developing a detailed, written road map to get them to where they want to go. Winners’ Definition of Happiness Happiness has been defined as, “The progressive achievement of a worthy ideal, or goal.” When you are working progressively, step-by-step toward something that is important to you, you generate within yourself a continuous feeling of success and achievement. When a patient comes to your office and you get him or her well, isn’t that achieving a goal; does that not bring a level of happiness? Each time you help a patient, you help yourself and your practice. In your report of findings, set goals for the patient. Achieving these mutual goals will lead to mutual success. A referral from a satisfied patient is a form of success. Winners Determine their Values Personal strategic planning begins with your determining what it is you believe in and stand for. Your values lie at the very core of everything you are as a human being. You must value being a doctor, value the employees that trust their livelihood into your hands, value the patients that trust their wellbeing to you. Your values are the unifying principles and core beliefs of your personality and your character. Winners Build Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem Once you define your values and set your goals, you have begun the exercise in building self-confidence, self-esteem and personal character. When you take the time to think through your fundamental values, the time to set your goals and then commit yourself to living your life consistent with them, you feel a surge of mental strength and well-being. You feel stronger and more capable. You feel more centered in the universe and more competent of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself. Form this day forth, decide for yourself what makes you truly happy and then organize your life around it. Write down your goals and make plans to achieve them. Being a winner, believing in yourself, will make you happier and healthier beyond your dreams. Every patient you help is a win; let your life be filled with victories. Be a winner, help some people today.

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