Goal Setters Are Goal Getters
By Dr. Eric Kaplan
Like most doctors, you have probably spent some time thinking about what your life might look like years down the road — daydreaming about having a cushy job, a big house, a fancy car, and a happy family. Unfortunately, these things are unlikely to fall into your lap and typically require focus, determination, and a little (or most likely a lot of) hard work to accomplish. The first thing we teach our doctors is that a goal without a plan is nothing more than a wish. As Mark Victor Hanson, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, said, “Goal setters are goal getters.”
To get where you want to be in life and in practice, you will need a clear vision for your future so you can set the appropriate goals to help you succeed. As you will soon see, goal setting actually helps you create that vision and is important because it keeps you motivated, improves your performance, and provides a clear path toward success.
Goals Are Great Motivators
Having goals to work toward is a great way to get and stay motivated. Ever since we were children, goals and the benefits of reaching them have been a major source of motivation, and it remains true as an adult. “If you get straight As, you can have X amount of money,” is the same as, “If you get the most new patients for the quarter, your practice will grow.” Research shows that having a goal and benefitting from its achievement can be a highly effective motivator.
At Concierge Coaches and Disc Centers of America, we teach the importance of not only getting new patients but also getting them to follow your treatment plan. We call it the Three Cs:
1. The Capture
2. The Conversion
3. The Close
Getting new patients is only the beginning (the capture); making sure they understand what you do and providing them with a blueprint for their success is part of the conversion. The close is based upon trust. Don’t be a salesperson; educate the patient about their needs and provide services only for their needs.
It’s important that we fulfill patients’ dreams and desires. We are there to serve them. As a doctor, my number one goal is to make the patient happy every day in practice. It must be our goal to satisfy patients and provide them with the care they need so that they will refer friends and family. Even without external recognition, praise, or reward, we gain a sense of accomplishment, elevated self-confidence, and enhanced self-efficacy through the achievement of goals that makes us want to challenge ourselves even further when setting our future objectives. Plus, the closer we get to where we want to be, the more likely we will remain motivated to keep moving forward.
Setting a goal is important, but increasing performance by just setting goals is the hard, tough, “gritting your teeth” way of achieving. Often, it is only temporarily effective. The most effective and natural way of increasing performance is to set a goal and then change one’s self-image by constructive imaging.
Constructive Imaging
As we know, self-image, or “self-reality,” is comprised of the total thoughts, experiences, and happenings in our lives. Every experience is recorded in our brain, whether we can remember them or not. Hypnosis will prove this.
The most important factor to remember is that the brain will record and equally treat images of events that actually happened and those entirely imagined. This is a key factor in changing self-image and increasing performance by an automatic or natural movement toward the set goal.
Constructive imagining must be done in a positive, present time and a subjective manner. The “wish words” (I am going to, should, wish I could, will) are completely negative. If merely thinking about something could change self-image, TV viewers would be superstars. It must be based on reality.
Goal Filters
Our self-reality and view of the world are influenced by the particular “rose-colored glasses” that we wear.
Our Perspective
True high performance and achievement are recognizing and enjoying the many facets of living.
Psychology of Goals
Humans seek goals by design, much like a computer-controlled guided missile. This can be illustrated by comparing the control of human performance to a simple thermostat. The human thermostat is an effective regulator.
An individual’s effectiveness at a given time is controlled by the following factors:
Inborn Intelligence
Although a person cannot perform beyond his intelligence level, it is widely recognized that humans only utilize a small fraction of their potential. As a doctor, your goal is to reach your potential. Trust your innate intelligence because it will guide you.
Restrictive Resistors
An individual is like a battery circuit with resistors. The degree that one’s potential is impaired by restrictive habits and thoughts will determine the extent that one’s potential can be utilized.
Attitude
An individual gathers positive and negative thoughts, which we will call negative and positive “rocks.” An attitudinal balance scale illustrates how this occurs. The attitude you have in your life is like a mirror that will attract people. It’s one thing to be successful, but to be successful and have people say, “He’s a great doctor,” or “She’s a great doctor with a great attitude,” will take you far in life.
Self-Image
A person’s self-image is the most crucial factor in achieving goals, performing at a high level, and living a happy and fulfilling life. Our self-image has many facets and is constantly changing. Our self-image is largely controlled by our particular image or “reality.” It is especially important to understand that “reality” is a subjective factor. Concierge Coaches and DCOA work with our doctors to develop strong self-images. Success starts from the inside and works its way out.
The Comfort Zone
All of us have an environmental comfort zone. Most of us have a practice comfort zone. Concierge Coaches and DCOA want you to break out of this zone and reach your potential. To most of us in this zone, it is like a room that is wide and somewhat fluid. This comfort area, of course, is closely aligned with our self-image. When we move out of our comfort zone, tension and disturbance is created. We remedy this in three ways.
Keys to Success Through Goal Setting
These three success essentials are inherent in every great achiever. Some of these are already a vital part of your personality, while others may be only partially developed. They provide a valuable template against which you can measure every goal, plan, and activity.
1. Move back in.
Change the environment to more closely resemble your comfort zone. Modify your self-image to comply with the new, different environment.
2. Ask yourself:
Have I crystallized my thinking so that I know where I stand now and where I want to go?
Do I have a detailed, written plan and a deadline for its achievement?
Do I have a burning desire to achieve the goal I have set for myself?
Do I have supreme confidence in myself and my ability?
Do I have the iron-willed determination to follow through regardless of what other people say, think, or do?
If you can answer an unqualified “yes” to each of these questions, you are already destined to succeed.
3. At Concierge Coaches and DCOA, we believe all success programs should be well-rounded and include a good balance in the following seven areas of life:
Financial and career
Physical and health
Mental and educational
Family and ethical
Spiritual and ethical
Social and cultural
We want your practice to grow, but you must grow with your practice. Use the message in this article to help you plan and achieve your goals.
The Rules for Setting and Reaching Your Goals
1. Identify your purpose in life.
2. Choose goals that are consistent with your life.
3. Write down your goals and set timetables for reaching them.
4. Break your goals down into easily achievable objectives.
5. Make your goals happen and make your dreams come true.
6. Review your goals and check for progress.
7. Constantly set new goals.
Without realistic goals to focus on and work toward, we would likely lack direction and could end up wandering aimlessly through life. You must ask yourself if your practice is where you want it to be. Then, ask yourself what you need to do to make it better. From those two questions, you should be able to set sufficient goals to create a roadmap to your future. Thankfully, we have the ability to take control of where we are headed instead of just going with the flow. Having goals gives us a greater sense of purpose while providing a roadmap to success.
Remember, in life and in practice, the closer we get to where we want to be, the more likely we are to keep moving forward. The closer we get to our destination, the more clearly we can see where we will end up. This clarity can help us decide if we are headed down the right path or if we have made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. What we thought we wanted at one point in time may no longer be desirable — and that’s okay. When we achieve a goal we have set and are left feeling unfulfilled, we have the opportunity to reevaluate the path we have chosen. Reaching our goals allows us to refine our vision for the future and confirm or correct the path we are on.
Finally, being goal-oriented is great for helping you get what you want out of life, and it’s a character trait shared by many of the most successful people. Only setting goals will not guarantee your success, but it is invaluable for helping you realize your dreams and aspirations for the future. So, remember to be a goal setter because goal setters are goal getters.
Remember, “Winners always say I can; losers always say I can’t.”
Concierge Coaches and DCOA clients say, “I can, and I will.”
Dr. Eric Kaplan and Dr. Perry Bard, are business partners of over 32 years. They have developed Disc Centers of America & Concierge Coaches, now in the eleventh year, as well as the first and largest National Certification Program for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression. Currently, they have over 150 clinics using their Disc Centers of America brand and lead ongoing success training events throughout the year. For more information on coaching, spinal decompression, or seminars, visit www.thechiroevent.com or www.decompressioncertified.org, or call the Chiropractic Q&A Hotline at 888-990-9660.
Dr. Jason Kaplan is a graduate of Parker University. Along with his wife Dr. Stephanie Kaplan, they practice in Wellington Florida. Jason is an Instructor for Disc Centers of America, one of the Nation’s largest collection of doctors specializing in Disc Injuries. He has been recognized and honored by the International Disc Education Association and serves on the Medical Advisory Board for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression. He teaches technique at the National Certification Program at Life University and is considered a Master on Non Surgical Spinal Decompression. www.wellingtondisccenter.com.
