November 2004

Olympic success

by Drs. Lerner, Loman and Schiffman

The athletes that make the Olympic Team or go on to win medals at the actual Olympics are all ridiculously, incredibly talented at winning. They are literally the best ‑‑ or even better ‑‑ at success.

If you played a sport in high school or watched one regularly, then you can probably recall someone either on your team or from another one who was so amazingly talented he or she just dominated your town or state.

Statistically, that dominant "best" athlete from your town or state most likely never even made a college team. That makes college athletes the "best of the best."

Then, of all of those college "best of the best" athletes, some will even be good enough to go on to try and make an Olympic team. They will then enter an Olympic Trial. In an Olympic Trial, the "best of the best" will often be beaten, or even beaten badly. This makes Olympians the "best of the best of the best."

Even more fascinating is that at the actual Olympics, the "best of the best of the best" will also lose or even lose BIG to an Olympic medalist. This makes an Olympic medalist the "best of the best of the best of the best."

To be an Olympian, or even more, an Olympic gold‑medal‑winning Champion, is so remarkable, it is almost beyond the realm of comprehension. As a chiropractor, you should seek the Olympic, gold‑medal level for the rest of your career. After all, what's more important, throwing a javelin and rolling around on a mat in tights or adjusting the atlas of a sick infant? As a chiropractor, your gold medal practice is a real prize worth working towards. Your success brings more than Olympic glory, it saves lives.

Olympic success rules

There are four rules of olympic success for chiropractors:

1. Believe in yourself. You must have a deep core belief in the power of what chiropractic can do and your power to do it.

2. Find great coaches and mentors. Behind every great athlete, business person, or leader are great coaches and dozens of others who have mentored them along the way. Trying to be the best of the best without coaching simply will never happen.

3. Find people to practice with who will challenge you. Many unsuccessful athletes are the product of a "weak room." This is a practice room or field that is devoid of other committed competitors to practice and train with. You need to be surrounded by people who are as ‑‑ or more ‑‑ skilled and passionate about success as you.

4. Be inspired to win. If you know the why, you'll endure any how. The best of the best chiropractors I know are moved by the desire to serve a higher call and save the sick and the suffering around them. They overcome laziness, selfishness, rejection, and fear of confrontation because they are "inspired to win."

See you on the medal stand!

(Dr. Ben Lerner, Dr. Greg Loman and Dr. Rob Schiffman manage Teach The World About Chiropractic, a coaching, seminar, and product company and Body by God International. They have three of the highest‑volume clinics in the history of chiropractic. Dr. Lerner, author of the New York Times best‑selling book, "Body by God: The Owner's Manual For Maximized Living," was the chiropractor for the Olympics of 1996 and 2000.)