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Are you in chiropractic --
or is chiropractic in you?

Growing up in upstate New York, I was a competitive gymnast from age seven to 19. I loved competition. I was the team captain and practiced a minimum of three hours a day, six days a week. I took part in about 40 meets a year, traveling as far away as Hawaii and China to compete.

There was a lot of pressure, but much excitement and great reward as well. It was during this time that I really came to understand the saying, "no pain no gain."

Concentration is a key element. Should you loose it for even a minute, there can be devastating consequences. In fact, I remember one day while practicing vaulting, I was setting up for a difficult new move. While running full speed toward the vault, I suddenly became distracted.

As I hit the board, I should have jumped up inverting myself over the horse. Instead, I projected forward directly into the piece of equipment. It knocked the wind out of me for quite a while. Thank goodness as a child I made weekly wellness visits to my chiropractor!

Each day -- as in life -- there were plenty of ups and downs. There were days I couldn't wait to get to practice, and days I knew that I needed to be there but would rather have been somewhere else. At the time, I may not have been willing to admit that my concentration and vision wavered, but I've learned that it's ok to admit that sometimes you just don't feel like being there.

Although I may not have felt like being there, I still was. And, I learned that when my will failed me, my preparation and skill brought me through. I could even say that my gymnastics career was made on the days I didn't feel like practicing. It's on days like this that the elite few are distinguished from the mediocre masses.

The same could be said for a chiropractic practice. In so many ways, my practice in the gym was like our chiropractic practice each day. Daily, we need to evaluate why and how we serve.

We call it "practice" for a reason. Every day we need to push ourselves to become better than the day before. It's important to stay focused on caring for children. Prepare and rehearse your pediatric report of findings and your pediatric health workshop. Repeat them each day, so that in the event there's a day your concentration wavers, you can fall back on your skill.

The real fun begins when the task becomes effortless. This is true whether your focus is on spots, music, or your chiropractic practice. With practice comes great reward. Let your love of children and for chiropractic come from inside and you'll be rewarded forever.