W e are involved in a magical profession. Most of us decided on entering the chiropractic profession because of the joy experienced by helping people live a happier, healthier and even pain-free life, which is usually accomplished when you stay clear of drugs and allopathic medicine. There is something very special and rewarding about providing natural solutions to waning health and steering your patients through education onto a path where long-term wellness is much more likely. So. our profession is exciting. Truly helping people achieve higher wellness is rewarding. But.. .guess what? Possessing and operating with good intentions doesn't make you bulletproof to challenges. It"s life. We arc going to experience obstacles. I don't know of a single person, let alone chiropractor, who hasn't had to face obstacles. Even those who seemingly have it all. who seem infallible, will eventually run into obstacles and challenges. Even the great Tiger Woods ran into a rough patch after seeming to have it all - the world by the tail. And almost overnight, his world just crumbled all around him. Tim Tcbow s star couldn't seemingly get any brighter coming out of college, and yet. he can't even make an NFL roster at this point (not that his life's success will be only based on football, but you get the point). The fact (and I do believe it's a fact) is that everyone will face challenges. It's not a matter of "if" but "when." When they show up, understand that these obstacles are actually opportunities for you to move forward Your obstacles will arrive. And when they do. just say. "I am ready" and face them with a purpose to overcome while still maintaining your composer and passion to serve. That isn't to say that you shouldn't try to anticipate and head off problems. Not at all. Of course you want to be wise and apply "preven-tative care" as effectively as possible. And you can practice prcventative measures better than ever, if you keep statistics on your practices movement (That is an article in itself). But even with a maximum effort, you will still meet up with obstacles, so just realize it's a reality and don't let them stress you out or get you down once they show up. Just say. "Hello obstacle. I was expecting you. Its time to figure out if I will go over, under or around you. but I will figure it out. Let"s get started!" Don't let obstacles block your momentum So. an obstacle arrives: inevitably it would. You don't have to let it get you down, first and foremost stop your initial worrying or increased stress response to it. We arc all human. But it's important tliat you don't let the challenges stop your forward momentum. Momentum is cnicial to a successful practice. After you identify your challenge, keep taking steps forward on as mam areas as possible. For instance, you just found out that your insurance reimbursement just got cut in half for several codes. You won't be able to change that. That battle was lost a long time ago. and the ever-changing, reducing insurance guidelines are what they are. Sure, your income just took a hit but. there are so many patients who still need the care that only you can provide! So what do you do now? Well, there are many possible solutions, and if you don't let the challenges crush your purpose and momentum, you can overcome this obstacle. There are so many options, more than 1 can list in this article but here are just a few: You could convert to a much higher cash-based practice (or even cash only. There are several models that are successful out there.) You could convert to an integrated practice model. You could up your marketing and growth strategies such as doing in-office referrals, in office workshops, lunch and learn lectures or free massage screenings, etc. The key is to keep moving forward. Don't let the obstacle stop your forward movement. You may try to move in one direction and realize that track isn't the solution. Good. Now you know. Re-group and game plan another solution. Keep trying - no matter what - keep trying. What happens when you stop moving forward? If you get stuck in a rut. stressed out or frozen by an obstacle your practice will start sliding backwards. Any time movement is ceased, and you decrease your momentum, it's not good. As an analogy, let's say you are a home owner, 1 live in FL, so will use it as my example. (In FL, you really need to keep up with your house, yard and pool, or it will create its own disaster area.) Let's say you start getting more weeds in your yard, your pool starts getting algae and your AC needs maintenance. And let's say your solution is to do nothing, because you are just "bummed out" about it. Well, in a short while, without applying any momentum, everything will get much worse, making you further "'frozen and stressed."' 'The solution is to make a "'to do list" each day and complete it, thus making some gains ever}- day. Address one problem at a time, and keep making progress. The same rules apply to running your practice. Never get stuck and become sedentary. Keep moving, regardless of the obstacles that pop up. OK, I want to move forward but don't know how It doesn't have to be complicated. But. oftentimes a professional coach can be very helpful, as they can make sure you have and are applying a game plan. But regardless, here is some specifics that can help: Identify the obstacles. Write them down. Don't try to hide from them; they usually won't go away by themselves. Greet them. You knew they were coming. Game plan how to overcome said challenges. Make a list of what needs to be tackled that day and then complete it. Keep statistics of key elements of your practice. How many new patients did you have this week? Will that allow your practice to thrive with the amount of new patients you had? If not, what can you do to better your chances of success? Set goals. Now that you are keeping stats, it's time to decide where your numbers need to be to reap you the practice that you dream of. If you don't apply some bare minimum stats and goals, it's like trying to drive while blindfolded. Then do those things necessary' to achieve them. Don't second guess yourself. You can never make all of your decisions 100% correctly. So, if you make one that wasn't optimal don't get stuck on it, just make a new decision and move on. At the end of the day, it's the total number of things done and not getting stuck on an incorrect decision that wins the battle. Dr. Brent Detelich is CEO of the Masters Club. Inc. As a chiropractor, he developed a system to grow his practice to seeing 500 patients a week and then helped open other clinics totaling 2.000 patient visits a week. For more information visit www.maslersclubinc.net or email info@ masWrschibinc.net or call 800-326-1797.
