After 12 years as a chiropractor and having worked with thousands of different people, I have found only a few factors that are great predictors of a person’s success in care. By far the most valuable is simply the individual’s commitment to what they are doing. People who make a decision, commit, and follow through get results. Those who don’t…are a crap-shoot.
Why We (I) Fail
I have both succeeded and failed (and observed others do the same) enough to recognize that this applies to every area of all of our lives. The reason that so many people struggle, fail and become frustrated with their health, fitness, finances, relationships and careers is that they never fully commit to anything. They are dabblers and dabbling will never create success.
Training With a Bulgarian Master
One of the things I appreciate about my friend, coach and business partner, Tyler Touchette of Caveman Strong, is that he is definitely not a dabbler. When he decided to start an Olympic weightlifting club in Cornwall, he committed to doing it well. As a result, a small group of us had the opportunity to be coached and spend some time with world record holder, world champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Alex Varbanov who travelled from Toronto with his family to train us.
Focus
Mr. Varbanov knows what it takes to be successful and dabbling is definitely not a part of it. He gives and expects full focus at all times – even when lifting what he calls a “small bar.” There is no music playing. After each set you sit quietly focusing on your next lift. As we started to approach our maximum lifts EVERYONE was expected to stop talking, stop moving and stop making noise.
Details, Details, Details
Attention to detail is also an important part of commitment. Following a specific training schedule. Eating the right stuff at the right time. Resting appropriately. Constant assessment and reassessment based on outcomes. Everything is taken into consideration.
It was an absolute blessing to be able to observe how someone who has reached the pinnacle of their discipline thinks and acts. Yes, this story is about weightlifting, but it is really about so much more than that. This is about your life.
What do YOU Want?
Do you want to be vibrantly healthy? Don’t dabble…do! Do you want to be financially wealthy? Don’t dabble…do! How about a relationship they will write poems about? You have to jump in with both feet.
Everyone (almost!) I meet with in my office wants some result that has been eluding them. They want to be free to do the activities they are unable to, or work to support their family. They want greater awareness, or mental and emotional well-being. They want strategies to facilitate their own growth, evolution and inevitably their greater contribution to the world.
Many achieve this, but there are always some who think they can take a short cut. They miss visits, they make excuses and they don’t follow through. They skip the workshops and don’t do their exercises at home.The result is frustration and disappointment.
The great thing is that it is never too late to turn it around. Really decide what you really want in your life and commit to making it happen. Don’t be a dabbler! Act now!
Thorin Gault, D.C.
« Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. »
Paulo Coelho