September 2009

They're just so darn lucky!

by Dr. Ogi Ressel

We need to have a major chat about this topic.

A number of years ago, I saw a sign in the Yorkville district of Toronto -- a very upscale area -- and I've never forgotten it. It was a poster of Michael Jordan holding a basketball in his huge hand. The inscription at the bottom simply said: "Practice so hard they think you're lucky!"

I mention this because many of us look at other chiropractors in our town who are doing much better than we are and tend to think that the reason they're so much better off is because of luck -- they're just so darn lucky! It seems they have a golden goose somewhere and it just keeps laying these golden eggs while all you get is the shell.

I mean, here you are, a simply amazing person, a stupendous individual. You're intelligent, good looking, bright, a fantastic doctor, can "heal 'em in no time flat" and you're just not cutting it out there. It isn't happening for you. Your well is dry. Your cloud has no silver lining. You're plain out of luck, or so it appears.

But, that other guy or gal is just so darn lucky. There he is… fantastic office, new house with a pool, golf club membership, yacht. Wow, is he lucky! There she is… brand new clinic, kids in private school, summer home in the Carolinas, Porsche. Wow, is she lucky!

You're drooling.

Here you are with a cracked driveway, house needing a new roof (forget the pool), 10 year-old Toyota Corolla, no Porshe (don't even know how to spell that word), public school for the kids, no summer home, and you don't even play golf.

Does that about sum it up?

Of course the reason is she's just so much luckier at life than you, or he must be doing something illegal. Right.

I say this because these are the games and excuses that prevent us from becoming the amazing doctors we can be.

Listen, I learned a long time ago that luck has very little to do with your success in life. The biggest impact is a little thing called "work." Yes, work. Let me spell it out for you: W.O.R.K.

Add to that a dash of determination, a sprinkle of perseverance, and a clove of attitude and now you're beginning to amount to something. When mixed in the proper concentrations with these ingredients, WORK takes on a totally different meaning.

But that's not all. The DC down the street has also invested time and effort in learning a new office protocol (oh my… this sounds awfully close to WORK). This individual has invested in learning how to make sure that people understand completely what it is a chiropractor does -- and then trust him or her, and want his or her care (the key)!

And it wasn't from some glitzy seminar on becoming a better marketing wizard. Or learning how to build a better mousetrap. Or learning how to sell his or her soul at the Mall. No. It was by learning how to become the best doctor his or her community has ever seen, and then letting everyone know it!

What a concept. Takes all that "luck" stuff right out of the equation!

So, the next time you look at the DC with all those perks and toys, look beyond the flash. Look beyond the glitz, and the façade, and the show. You'll probably see a person who's conquered and mastered WORK. You'll see a doctor who's made hard work his or her ally, who understands the laws of return, who totally gets the idea that basing one's life on wishing and hoping and dreaming is a fast road to nowhere.

If you suffer from cerebral constipation, you can always remain jealous and at a standstill. Instead, I suggest you spend time with this DC and learn what it is that made him or her so "lucky." Maybe it will, just by some magic, rub off on you! And that wouldn't be a bad thing.

Then be smart about it. Consider learning what it takes to have people actually want to see YOU!

And if you aren't sure, please call me. I will absolutely point you in the right direction!

(Dr. Ogi Ressel, author, researcher, and an x-ray and pediatric specialist, teaches The Practice Evolution Program, the "fastest-growing coaching program on the planet." Visit online at www.practiceevolution.com  and take the Practice Health Mini-Checkup. Dr. Ressel may be contacted by e-mail at drogi@practiceevolution.com  or by calling 800-353-3082. Interested in receiving his weekly THOTS "on seeing tons of children and families in your practice?" Send him an e-mail and asked to be added to the list.)