All too often, chiropractors call me because of one or more challenges they're having in practice. By the time their situation is carefully evaluated, one conclusion towers over all others as the cause of their practice's demise: they left their stretch zone.

Losing your stretch zone often happens under the radar scanner and therefore goes undetected for weeks or months at a time. This zone is hard to find and even harder to keep. Even though it's difficult to put into words, we can look at people or listen to them speak, and notice right away they're in the zone.

There is no new marketing scheme or special piece of equipment that can come close to the value of being in your stretch zone. I've interviewed chiropractors who have been in practice for 25 years and have never found their stretch zone. On the other hand, I've worked with D.C.s who have sustained their stretch zone for 25 months continuously.

Much of this has to do with your current belief system around being stretched. If you honestly feel you have nothing to lose by stretching yourself and everything to gain, the resistance will drop below threshold levels and new action will take place even in the midst of fear. Yet, if you believe you have everything to lose in your attempt to gain, threshold level will not be broken and new action will not take place.

This place is often referred to as the comfort zone. In reality, there is nothing "comfortable" at all in this place. Despite the pain and frustration, what does exist is familiarity. Sometimes pain isn't the penalty -- it's boredom. In the past two years alone, I've spoken to more than 2,000 chiropractors who've been trapped in the comfort zone and some didn't even know it!

The illusion is that being in a comfort zone eliminates costly mistakes, thereby providing a greater sense of security. Comfort zones don't eliminate mistakes, but at times they can reduce them. The real mistakes are the number of missed opportunities, which can be 10 times more costly.

I have researched the phenomena for over a decade to ascertain why anyone would choose to remain in a comfort zone when he or she has so many reasons and opportunities to choose otherwise.

My conclusion lies beyond the stretch zone.

If you were to draw three concentric circles, the center circle would represent the comfort zone. The next area encircled would represent the stretch zone. Just outside the stretch zone, lives the panic zone. When chiropractors think of stretching themselves, they often confuse it with the panic zone. This can cause a shortness of breath, a tightening of muscles, and butterflies in the stomach.

The main challenge with leaving the comfort zone is really quite obvious: fear of the unknown. Chiropractors capable of advancing beyond their comfort zone, do so with the belief that while this new place may be unknown to them, it has already been tested and is known to others.

Growth requires change, change requires stretch, and stretch requires a willingness to take new action even in the presence of fear or doubt. The panic zone is reached when you have taken actions for which you now have no control. The fear of loss can have a paralyzing affect, which can increase resistance to the point that no new change will ever happen. That's why so many D.C.s are hiring a coach to help guide them out of their comfort zone, while preventing them from stretching so far at one time that they enter the panic zone.

More than ever, I am witnessing chiropractors converting to excellent cash practices, breaking down their walls to a more open environment, changing to a completely automated and paperless practice, offering long term corrective care and family wellness programs, and so much more. But these things can't and won't happen if doctors feel they have more to lose than gain by stretching themselves. It's rare that a chiropractor fails due to entering the panic zone. Unfortunately, it's quite common to see chiropractors fail because they couldn't get themselves out of the comfort zone.

If you feel this is your case, I have good news -- you can fix it! But the longer you stay out of your stretch zone, the harder it is to find. Take the time to call someone who can help you through this process. Most consultants will do a good job of identifying your exact condition, and offer sound advice that will guide you back into the stretch zone. Ironically, that's where chiropractors find their greatest passion, greatest confidence, and highest sense of purpose. Check out my offer on the back page and see if that fits your needs.