May 2008

Open your eyes

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

Many readers are going through their lives and practices with their eyes closed. By this we mean you are listening to and believing people who do not have your best interest at heart. When you have your eyes open, you are responsible to the truth. Closing your eyes means you take input from people who think they know what's best for you and your practice. Opening your eyes means you listen to people who know what's best for your practice.

When you have your eyes closed, you stand for anything that can supposedly help you in the short run. Even if that modality or type of care goes against who you are and what you believe in. Will you violate your integrity for public acceptance or for money? When you open your eyes, you have a love for chiropractic and the people you serve. You become a leader and a receiver. Leaders have an authenticity and integrity that people sense and trust. Non-leaders are always searching for something new and different because the last new gadget, modality or type of care has run its course and is now gathering dust.

When you open your eyes you give your all to your practice and your life. People will appreciate and notice the distinct difference in your care and choose to stay in your office. There is an excitement to practice and a buzz in your office. When you have your eyes closed, giving your all takes too much effort. You miss the beauty of your practice and its people. You are always worried what the DC down the street is doing. No wonder you don't want to open your eyes! You resign yourself to a practice and a life of boredom. Our mentor, Dr. Joe Flesia, always used to say, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything and be good for nothing."

When you are at seminars how can you spot DCs who have their eyes closed? Many of them have cleverly devised a way so it looks like their eyes are open…unless you look closely. They don't take notes, they don't listen, and they usually sit toward the back of the room. They generally attend seminars only if license renewal credits are available. You will not find closed eye DCs at seminars that feature patient education. If you visit their offices there’s always a bewildering variety of modalities, philosophies, and only adult musculoskeletal care -- no family care -- because you would have to open your eyes to see that children deserve to be healthy also.

When you meet DCs who have their eyes open, you will encounter a different mindset. They sit near the front of the room, take plenty of notes and are focused on the presenter. They very commonly take younger practitioners under their wing. They attend seminars for personal and practice growth. They are exciting to be around. They have a certain charisma, likeability and a compassion for others that sets them apart from most DCs. If you visit their offices, they have a central theme of family care and patient education. Look at their posters and pamphlets, they educate and open people's eyes to health. Their practice members are babies, children and adults, well and sick. Their CAs are bubbly, energetic individuals who love to serve. Their offices remind you of nothing you have ever experienced in an allopathic environment.

Sometimes it can seem that closing your eyes is a safer way of experiencing life, much like children placing their hands over their eyes to avoid confrontation. It's not. When you open your eyes, the problem awaits you. Some of our readers will ask how this strategy became accepted by so many people. This happened because it's a strategy adopted by children and naive adults who lack the tools and the urgency of purpose. When you have your eyes closed, you miss out on all the beauty the world and its people have to offer. You avoid and suffer, rather than confront and change. You accept your practice is not what you want it to be and that it cannot be changed.

There has never been a better time to be a chiropractor. People all around the world are becoming aware of health. They are looking for leaders in health who have their eyes open, rather than followers with their eyes closed. Many DCs desire to make a difference and change the world. The first step is to open your eyes to a greater possibility… healthier people make a healthier planet.

(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.)