July 2007

Do you remember your first K.I.S.S.?

by Dr. Erich Breitenmoser

When I started my fifth or sixth quarter at Palmer, one of the first things I was taught was to "Keep It Simple Stupid."

Communicate in such a way that your chiropractic message was unmistakably crystal clear. What the professor meant was that if the message wasn't clear, the patient would end up confused, and confused patients seldom take action or follow through with their recommended schedule of care.

This advice can be followed in any endeavor, but since I'm a chiropractor I thought I should mention this concept again.

For instance, in marathon running today, the top professionals use sports psychologists, computerized training regimens, and state‑of‑the‑art running shoes. Perhaps all of that is really not necessary to win the big race. I'm not denying that those things can help you win, but Toshihiko Seko didn't need them to win the Boston Marathon.

Seko won the Boston Marathon in 1981. His training program at that time was simplicity in itself, and Seko explained it with just 12 words: "I run 10 kilometer in the morning and 20 kilometer in the evening."

You're probably thinking, there's got to be a catch! But this plan enabled him to outrun the world's greatest, fastest, and most gifted runners in the world that year. When Seko was told that his plan seemed too simple compared to that of other marathoners, he replied, "The plan is simple, but I do it every single day, 365 days a year."

Simple? Yes. Easy? No!

It's my conviction and belief that most doctors don't reach their goals, not because their plans or goals are too simple or too complicated. Most people fail to reach their goals because they aren't committed and willing to follow through with their plans.

Many of our goals don't require detailed plans, but all of them require that we must follow the plan we have to be successful. Seko's simple plan was very effective because he followed it every day, 365 days a year. Nothing could be simpler than that! Follow his example. Make certain your plan to reach your chiropractic goal is simple, and then follow it carefully.

Having the world's best ideas will do you absolutely no good unless you ACT on them. For example, if you were a farmer and you wanted some milk, you'd milk the cow. You wouldn't sit on a stool in the middle of a field, and wait for the cow to back up to you to get milked. A lot of doctors are like that. They think that they can just hang their shingle out, put up the fanciest sign, in the best neighborhood and then sit there until someone walks in the front door.

A successful chiropractor says, "It may be difficult, but it's possible." An unhappy chiropractor says, "It may be possible, but it's too difficult." I find that most doctors are like wheelbarrows ‑‑ they go no further than they're pushed. Have you been pushed lately? Hiring a proficient coach is being pushed. Once pushed hard enough, the results you want will be forthcoming.

Writer George Moore once wrote, "A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." Success is always within your reach, in fact you're already successful, it's just that you haven't met all of your goals. If you want to be more successful, you have to be more committed to doing what's right and what's simple ‑‑ every day you're in the office.

(Dr. Erich Breitenmoser, a Palmer Graduate, is President of Practice Wealth, and has helped doctors since 1998 become masters of their own destiny by helping them see more new patients, working fewer hours and making more money. You can read his special advisory report on line at www.practicewealth.com or call 951‑693‑5777 for more information.)