May 2003

'Leggo my ego!'

by Dr. Tony Palermo

In my early days of health care demonstrations, I would go through volumes of information. The talk dragged on forever. Why? I would do everything possible to avoid a call to action at the end of the lecture.

I would allow my fear of requesting referrals to outweigh my love of chiropractic service. My inability to obtain commitments for care plans and payment for services was directly proportional to my avoidance of rejection.

Rather than drinking in from the well of abundance, I took small sips from a puddle /of lack in order to protect my ego.

Small "SIPS" drown great doctors. The SIPS are the "Self‑Imposed Poverty Systems" that imprisons too many chiropractors in a world of lack and struggle.

Golfers know that the "YIPS" prevent low scores and make the easy putts impossible. The SIPS stifle success much the same way for practicing chiropractors. The SIPS keep many doctors drowning in a sea of uncertainty, fear, doubt and debt.

The more common SIPS questions are:

***  "What will people think of me if I ask for referrals?"

***  "Won't I appear needy if I'm asking them to bring their family in for care?"

***  (My personal favorite) "Do you really think it's professional for you to be asking for referrals?"

Have you ever created a flyer, promotional item or marketing piece that you thoroughly enjoyed, then just prior to launching your new venture your SIPS kick in?

Perhaps your SIPS (or the SIPS of others) pose questions like:

--- "Have you ever seen anyone else do this?"

--- "What makes you a marketing expert?"

--- "What will the others think when they see THIS?"

Some well‑intentioned people have postulated that chiropractors suffer from weak self‑esteem. I've heard some say that our entire profession suffers from an inferiority complex.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and take a completely different stance. I believe that chiropractors are suffering from an abundance of ego! The need to fight, to be right, to act superior and to be the consummate underdog is the result of an ego gone wild.

You can only be an underdog if you THINK you are an underdog. Isn't it much easier to see that you're a champion and lose that whiny "feel sorry for me, the world beats me up every day" attitude? Who wants to spend time and money with an angry, defensive, egotistical maniac?

Contrary to popular belief, people don't enter a chiropractor's office just to pick a fight with you!

There's a great scene from a movie in which one character asks the other, "So, tell me, what do you really think of me?"

The other guy simply responds, "I don't."

We're convinced that the entire world is watching our every move. We're certain every member of the community is keeping a vigilant eye on our activities. Our ego tells us that every chiropractor in our town is watching to see what we're up to.

Some people may give you grief about an ad that you run. Some people may say that you're unprofessional. Some may suggest that you keep a low profile. Others may tell you to rattle the roost.

If you're going to base your every move toward success upon your ego's fragile fears, you may want to consider the following advice:

1. You ARE going to make a spectacle of yourself! Let's say you go for the gusto and give a new idea a run. Sure, there may be people pointing fingers and taking issue.

Conversely, when you take NO chances to protect your ego people are still going to point fingers and laugh. My theory is "If someone's watching, then watch THIS!" And I'll give my idea the wings to fly.

2. If someone's got enough time to put your life under the microscope then they've got far too much free time. I'm not taking success advice from people with all the time in the world to offer it!

3. Doctors struggling week to week and month to month are living in a self‑imposed poverty prison. That prison is the product of their mind.

If you're suffering from the SIPS then you've got to bust free. Read books about success, hire a coach, get involved with success-oriented individuals and plot your own mental prison break.

4. Flex some muscle! Blow the dust off of that great idea. Get going on a promotion that you thought had potential. Take a bold but calculated risk on yourself.

In order to get your ship sailing in the direction of your dreams, you're going to have to leave the comfort of dry land and take a chance or two. That's the only way to get from where you are to where you want to go.

5. Take an inventory IMMEDIATELY. I suggest you write down every reason that you can think of why what I've just said won't work for you. Make a solid argument against everything that I've shared in this month's offering.

You'll soon find your personal SIPS are telling you that you can't succeed and your Self‑Imposed Poverty System is being funded by your fragile ego.

It's just like health. You can't have health and subluxation. Similarly, you can't have success and SIPS cohabiting in the same consciousness. You've got to choose one. I say choose success!

You can't have success and a fragile ego. So, 'leggo YOUR ego!'

(Dr. Tony Palermo practices in Bethlehem, Pa. His 100% cash, no insurance accepted, 100% referral-only practice requires fewer than 10 hours per week of his time. He balances his time with family and a limited clientele of coaching clients. Note to Chiropractic Journal readers: If you're interested in joining Dr. Palermo for free "Chiropractic Mastermind" teleconferences to discuss topics from his columns, e-mail him at drtonyp@aol.com and type "Chiropractic Journal Reader" in the subject line. He'll let you know when his next session is scheduled.)