On Fridays I like to share experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant. I like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.
Something that helps me. As I prepare for my 100-mile race, I use the weekends to knock out my longest runs. This past weekend, as I got very close to finishing both runs, I challenged myself to keep running for an few extra miles. In no way did I feel like doing so, but I have found this type of thing to be incredibly valuable.
Performing when you are tired, hungry, unmotivated, etc. is a skill to be developed. If you can hone it, you will find that you are able to succeed even when you aren’t 100%. This is crucial because we are so rarely able to be at our absolute best. When I look back at my training after I have completed a major race, I barely remember most of the miles I’ve covered or workouts I have completed. What I do remember, are the times when I pushed myself a bit further. The “extra” is what brings you to a higher level and that is what it takes to accomplish extraordinary goals!
Something I know to be true. As I scrolled social media recently, my feed was filled with these fancy and exotic types of workouts, promising amazing results. It’s great to try different things and there are certainly many types of workouts that have value. However, what I try to explain to patients and clients of mine is that to succeed, you do not need fancy. All you really need is basic but consistent.
I have tried everything you can imagine when it comes to fitness and exercise. Some of those things make cool photos, like flipping tires, carrying a heavy bag up a mountain, running in snowstorms, and more. The reality is what has helped me the most is boring. I perform the basics time and again, which leads to incremental improvements that no one would ever mention on social media. If you are interested in getting in better shape, understand that it does not need to be complicated. Master a few essentials and most importantly, remain consistent with them. The cool stuff gets the “likes” but the boring, consistent staples get the results.
Something that helps. How do you feel when you walk into a room that is an absolute mess? If you were meeting with a mortgage lender, accountant, or attorney, and their office had papers strewn everywhere, how would you feel? The point is, when things around you are cluttered, your mind soon follows. It causes subtle hints of anxiety, confusion, and decreased motivation. It is not conducive to streamlined processes or high-level performance.
I recommend keeping the areas that you use most (your workspace for example) neat and organized. You don’t have to perform a white glove test every hour, just keep it so you’re not fighting through clutter or getting distracted constantly. This will allow you to work efficiently and direct more bandwidth to planning, task completion, and focusing on pertinent matters. As simple as this is, it is important.
Something I learned in practice. When you deal with the public as I do daily, you will be exposed to everything. Most patients are amazing, but some are a pain to deal with. Performing adjustments on people can be easy and other times very tricky. Certain people have realistic expectations, while some expect you to be a magician and wave away years of their poor habits in a single visit. The point is that things can be easy or extremely hard.
What I have learned from this, is dealing with the difficult people and challenging cases is the best way to test my skills and grow. Anyone can excel when things are easy, you need only be competent, and things will go well. However, when you deal with the hardest people, conditions, and circumstances; you need you’re A-game to succeed. Each time I face a difficult person or case in practice, it forces me to raise my level of skill to handle it. As my level of proficiency rises to handle the tough stuff, it also makes me better for the easier ones. Challenge creates growth and makes all the difference.
Some quotes I love.
“Never fight unless you have to. But when it’s time to fight, you fight like you’re the third monkey going up to Noah’s Ark…and brother it’s starting to rain!”
“Strength is never a weakness, and weakness is never a strength.”
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis