June 2007

Define your target

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

Looking to constantly improve is a way of keeping on purpose and continuing our legacy and heritage of being subluxation family based chiropractors. It's about being successful and making a difference in people's lives.

DCs today are interested in the mechanics of purposeful success or, more simply stated, being able to achieve goals without sacrificing purpose or integrity. Since over the years we have endeavored to make the journey toward success as direct as possible, we've been led to share with our readers many different technologies for achieving one's goals in record time.

When a target is well‑defined, no matter what the obstacle is in its way, a missile is always fighting to be back on track instead of being taken of its mark. The outcome is therefore very predictable. The target will be accomplished. Yet, program the location of the target into the guidance system just one degree off, and the missile will miss its mark every time.

This is a weakness that we see when it comes to fulfilling one's dreams. If a DC doesn't define his or her target, the mind doesn't have a flight plan to follow and will be affected by every obstacle it comes up against. It gets off course and doesn't reach the goal. How can it reach a target that wasn't properly outlined? This is a hidden source of frustration and leads to burnout.

Without purpose and goals, you will not feel successful and fulfilled. This is just like putting the wrong coordinate into the missile's guidance system and then wondering why you didn't hit the target. The solution is obvious. You need to define your target, your intended goal. If you don't have these coordinates or your goals or your purpose in your guidance system, you are delicious prey to all the people leading you away from chiropractic.

So, what is your target? Do you have one? Is it acceptable to you to earn income any way that's available to you (laser hair removal, weight loss management, mud wraps, etc.) or is your goal being successful as a chiropractor? Is your goal to be a salesperson or a teacher? Do you use force and manipulation or do you educate and allow individuals to decide what's best for them and their families?

In our book titled, "Finding That Something In You," we introduced the concept of proper goal setting and changing your old way of thinking to vision‑based thinking, rather than sacrificing your purpose and integrity in the name of supposed success. Vision‑based thinking is being ultra successful with a bigger purpose in mind, and handing this chiropractic legacy to the next generation.

Let's say you have a goal of a certain dollar amount per month. If you have a vision‑based goal that's grounded in chiropractic, the income will be necessarily earned by chiropractic activities. If you have a strictly monetary goal, you could conceivably earn the income in a bewildering array of non‑chiropractic income‑ producing activities.

We had a person start coaching with us who ‑‑ unbelievable as it sounds ‑‑ was running pre‑paid funerals through his office. His brother‑in‑law was an undertaker with cards that read, "You have to go sometime." When we reviewed his practice profile it had an extremely small number of adjustments, although a nice income. It didn't make sense (even with the most creative coding practices) until we asked where all the income was coming from. Now, we don't have anything against pre‑paid funerals, however it will not help a family stay healthy. This doctor didn't go to school for seven‑to‑nine years to supplement his income selling pre‑paid funerals. It surely will not change the health paradigm of our country.

The choice is really very easy. Have purpose and stand for something. Teach a sometimes resistant public that thinks it already knows what health is, or refuse to stand for anything and fall for everything. There has never been a time like this to be a family chiropractor. To have a purposeful life is a life worth living.

We just met a gentleman who graduated from chiropractic school in 1966. He said, "I thought all of the purposeful DCs were dead... you guys make me remember what it feels like to be a chiropractor."

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)