Sucess isn't for the weak minded.

August 19, 2009

Well, I’ve started working on my habits. I can really tell that this is going to be tough. Success isn’t for the weak minded or the lazy person who wants to get by doing the minimum. My biggest struggle so far is just setting my mind on what I want to accomplish and then doing it without looking back. It doesn’t mean that I’m just automatically going to just start seeing success, but I think it will begin the process of defining myself.

I think that I have gradually, from previous experiences and re-evaluating my practice and myself as I’m doing now, reached the conclusion that one of my biggest weaknesses is patient education. I have a difficult time communicating to the patient what chiropractic is. And helping them identify how they would like to implement these ideas into their life.

Today, I spent some time beginning the process of identifying what I can give, or say to the patients on a visit by visit basis that will help them gain the knowledge that I’m looking to share. There are some beginning ideas.


August 24, 2009

I keep struggling with the cola drinking: Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper. I would really like to get to the point that I don’t have such a drive to drink it. But today I actually drank the 32oz bottle of water twice. That is my goal. So, that is a success.

I met with Ryan Teeples. Ryan was referred to me by Brian Bangerter. They are pretty good friends. Ryan professionally helps bigger businesses build a good marketing system. He seems to do well with it. He likes to help smaller businesses do some work, but doesn’t usually charge. He talked with me about some good marketing ideas. It mostly revolved around the internet. He talked about how much people use the internet to find places to go. I typed up some notes to help me remember what we went over. This is a direction that I have been thinking about recently.

August 25, 2009

Doing research and being prepared now may not seem much beneficial now, but eventually will be more and more beneficial. I read a short story called Daniel Webster and the Blacksmiths Fee. It was a nice short story, it talked about how Daniel Webster did some very involved research on a case for a man that had no money. The man was told to just pay what he felt it was worth. The man gave Webster a dollar because it seemed like he pulled it off pretty easily. Then 25 years later the president of a major railroad company came to Webster as it turns out with the same kind of case as the man before. Webster was able to pull out his notes from before and with a little revision was ready and won a case that looked to the railroad president like a certain loss. Well, there is a lesson I learned from this. I need to study things out a little bit more, even if it seems very trivial. If it’s going to benefit me by giving me greater knowledge and understanding on chiropractic. And greater help in my treating patients.

Doing to coaching with Dad, “letters to Dad.” I’ve been doing some coaching with my father. I feel like he has some valuable knowledge in life and success that I could benefit from. So far there has been 2 letters that I have written to him. As we go along I would like to share some of the things he says in his letters. Initially he said, (quoting Alma from the Book of Mormon, “whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials and their troubles, and their afflictions.” Then he followed up with a second letter talking about “keep(ing) your focus on improving the well being and wellness of your patients. I believe if you "lose yourself" in (this) good cause, you will love your work, (and) your patients will see it and love you for it.

I’ve been having more feelings about how I really am not aware of what I really stand for when it comes to chiropractic. I don’t know if I truly understand everything I really am trying to convey to patients. That may be why I struggle with the practice. I need to do more research and more study of how all this works. Then I can convey it better and better.

My water drinking was terrible today. I didn’t even drink much of one 32oz bottle. Instead I had some Mr. Pibb. And several times! I need to get better about this. It has to have greater meaning. I have been making some notes and journaling them. I turned in the Black and Decker table saw that I inherited from Jades parents. I found out that back 20 years ago (which is at least how old it is: Jades grandfather bought it maybe 25 years ago) it was a pretty good machine. I’ve always thought Black & Decker was a cheaper brand. Jade as given me my first woodworking project: A two-step stool. I’m kind of excited about it.

While I was down in Orem, I bought a small binder from Franklin Covey (it was pretty cheap – this is for my wife). She doesn’t know that I got it. She will eventually find out. I know… I have never kept up with maintaining a day planner before. I guess I just want to try again. This is part of my organization process. I need to develop this more and more in actual office procedures.

Our numbers have been up a little but far from where we need to be. Collections are looking down, we really haven’t collected much this week. I’m hoping for a miracle, if we are going to be able to make it.


August 29, 2009

Pulling together who I am. This, I believe is one of the most difficult things for most of us to do. Who am I? I have found that I must have said to myself at some point when I was a kid that I can’t succeed at anything. I can’t win. I can’t come out on top. Either because I don’t have the capability to do so, or I’m just not supposed to, or it’s not the humble thing to do. Well, I’ve convinced myself of this to such an extent that I have decided, subconsciously, that it’s not even worth trying. It’s not worth trying and then failing. Just do what I have to do to get by, and don’t disappoint myself. So, I have figured out throughout my life how to live without getting ahead, succeeding, or really winning and still be happy and satisfied with my life.

This is a terrible tragedy! A terrible waste! I think a lot of us are in this boat. We have convinced ourselves that we are just average, and that is okay. It’s interesting because when I look around me, I find that many of my friends are the same way. They have the same belief. In fact it probably wouldn’t be wrong to say that a majority of the whole world allows themselves to just blend in and get away with the absolute minimum. There are some very good people who are this way. I’m not saying that this is the wrong way to be. But, I think we have to try and be realistic with our feelings and I’ve just chosen a profession that won’t allow a person to succeed beyond just barely staying open. Then we get into a recession situation and it doesn’t “hack-it” any more.

I need to look deep into myself and really find out who I am. I need to peel back all those years of talking trash to myself and see who the person is below it all. I need to find out what I really want and not what I have been protecting myself with all these years. If I rely only on the stronger feelings that I have, I find that there are a few things that I know about myself.

First of all, I know that I have pretty deep feelings for my family. I love my wife more than anyone in the world. Love hasn't always come easy. But she has been easy to love! I don’t believe there is anyone out there that I would rather be with. I love that she enjoys talking to me, and spending time with me. I love talking and spending time with her. Does our marriage have challenges? Sure. I have loved her more and more as we learn to work through our differences. My parents have many differences, but I cannot picture one without the other, I would never be able to separate them in my mind.

Secondly, I love my children more than I could ever imagine! I would do anything for them. I want them to be happy around me. I have a real tough time disciplining them. Sometimes it comes easy for a few moments, but very quickly, I want to go back to them and just hug and kiss them and tell them that I love them more than anything in the world!