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 important. I am fortunate to receive frequent compliments from patients about my bedside manner, demeanor, and business practices. Most like my enthusiasm, empathy, positivity, and straightforward business practices. This means a lot to me because when I was first in practice, I was bombarded by people telling me what I should do, and how I should speak and act. Most of what I heard felt disingenuous and fraudulent to me.
It is an important lesson to understand that to be successful, you do not need to change who you are. Instead, it will likely only require you to change some of your habits, processes, or behaviors. Using the same chiropractic example, I never compromised my morals or overall personality. Instead, I improved my skills as a doctor, became better at communicating, and focused on understanding the experience within my office from a patient’s perspective rather than my own. To become successful, do not abandon who you are, simply adjust certain aspects of how you operate.
Something I believe. Do you know of any relationships that succeed with one person being completely committed and one person not? No. How about successful businesses with owners that focus or care about their business only a fraction of the time? Of course not.
I believe commitment is the most essential ingredient in the recipe for any relationship, business, or endeavor to succeed. Too often, people give up when things become challenging. True commitment to someone or something is being willing to go through the ups and downs required to get where you want to go. I also believe that commitment is shown through consistent and meaningful action. If you want to chase a goal, make sure that you are truly committed before you even start. If you are, put in the effort every single day to get there.
Something humorous that helps me. My late brother-in-law and I were great friends. I had the privilege of opening and running a business with him and coaching football with him for years. During those times, we went through many of the trials and tribulations you would expect in business and sports. Something I remember vividly is anytime I would voice even the slightest complaint or aggravation at something we faced, he would ask me “Are you ok? Do you want me to get you a cucumber water?” This was his way of telling me to toughen up, stop acting like a baby, and begin taking action. It would always make me laugh and get me back on track.
As humorous as this is, I have thought of it for years and it truly helps me. When I feel overwhelmed, frustrated, worried, or even slightly sorry for myself, I think of him saying that to me. This has happened in business situations, the toughest of personal times, grueling workouts, 100-mile races, and more. We all need a way to remind ourselves to toughen up and be more resilient, I’m thankful mine involves my brother-in-law teasing me about cucumber water!
Something important. Have you ever gotten really excited about a goal and worked extremely hard to make it happen only to be disappointed in the results? Maybe a promotion didn’t materialize, the scale didn’t show what you expected, you lost when you hoped to win, etc. Failing when you put in minimal effort is expected, but failing when you are expending all your energies can be crushing. It feels unfair because we like to believe that when we give our best, we will get rewarded. In these situations, I have learned two things.
First, giving your absolute best to something is a requisite. It is not a guarantee of success, but at minimum it provides satisfaction that you have done all you could. Second, when you try hard and fail, you will want to quit. It is precisely at that point when it becomes most important to harness your disappointment, keep trudging forward, and not decrease your effort at all. Personally, I have found that if I can keep fighting after my toughest defeats, God always gives me something better in the future.
Some quotes I Love.
“Don’t give up. The hardest battles are given to the strongest soldiers.”
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean