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.
A sign of the times and a reminder. Last week as I was finishing an exhausting but rewarding day of seeing patients, I got a notification that I’d received a Google review. I opened it and saw a scathing review from a woman that I have never met, never spoken to, never interacted with, nor seen as a patient. She attacked me for “openly celebrating the Roe vs. Wade decision” and ended with “F this guy.”
Many of you follow me and are friends with me on social media, read these weekly 5 Spots, and speak to me regularly in person. I have opinions like anyone else, but I am the last person that is going to jump online or get in your face to get political or critical of anyone. I have literally never done it and never will. To me, it’s a waste of time and goes against who I am.
So, did I go into a funk after this person chose me at random and got negative? No. Just as I don’t let myself get too high after a nice compliment or a victory of some kind. There is a saying I love “Don’t let a win get to your head or a loss to your heart.” I repeat this to myself often to remind myself to stay level and never get too high or too low for any reason.
A challenge I’m excited for. On Saturday, I begin coaching flag football for my youngest son (who is almost 4). Everyone on the team will be between the ages of 4 and 5 which means it will be equivalent of herding cats. At that age, most kids have zero attention span, and they retain very little of what you tell them, so even the smallest aspect of the sport becomes difficult.
So why am I excited? To get through to those little ones, I know I must get creative. That involves how I explain things, what drills I use, and how I engage them. I must use words/concepts they understand, and everything needs to be fun, otherwise they’ll check out instantly. As a chiropractor, I deal with people that are coming to me from different perspectives and levels of expectation all the time. Those experiences have made it easier for me when I coach, and I love the challenge of trying to get through to my young players so that they can improve and enjoy themselves!
Why do I like short duration challenges? With our fitness/exercise business, my wife and I like to host 30-day challenges. I was asked this week why I like them so much and I thought it was a great question.
I believe that the further out in time you look, the more daunting things can seem. Therefore, it’s best to break things into more manageable chunks. I have used this approach for myself in my own training for years and have found it effective in coaching, parenting, business, and other avenues as well. There are no shortcuts and while 30-days is not enough time to change anyone forever, it is long enough to produce progress and build confidence. A person that can follow a specific plan and make progress in 30 days, tends to want to continue. That helps transition someone from completing a challenge to the development of positive and lasting habits.
Something to pay attention to. Have you ever had a healthy or productive habit that you followed religiously but then began to fall off from? For example, you went from exercising 5 days a week for months down to two and then before you knew it, you hadn’t worked out in a year?
I call this the “sloppy phase” where focus is lost, and standards start falling off. The key is to recognize when this is happening and act immediately. If you find yourself saying “I’ve been bad about that lately” that is precisely the time when you need to increase your effort and get back in the game. For example, if you have been eating poorly and not exercising, do not wait until next week to start fixing it. Start with your next meal and make sure that you get that next workout in as soon as possible (preferably that day). Effective and productive habits can be your best friend, do all you can to ensure that they remain in place and do not allow them to falter over time.
Some quotes I love.
“I have no fear that the result of our experiment will be that men may be trusted to govern themselves without a master.” – Thomas Jefferson
“In a society that has you counting money, pounds, calories, and steps, be a rebel and count your blessings instead.” – Lisa Heckman
“If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader. Sell ice cream.” – Nick Saban
“Most people don’t want to be part of the process; they just want to be part of the outcome. But the process is where you figure out who’s worth being part of the outcome.” – Alex Morton
“It’s always too early to quit.” – Norman Vincent Peale
Want more?
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