We kind of live in a Wal-Mart world. One stop shopping rules the day. Nothing is great and it is sort of smelly, but there are LOTS of products to buy, all in one place! This phenomenon is not only prevalent in low-end retail – it is popping up in all kinds of different industries.
I’m not judging whether or not a Wal-Mart world is a good or bad thing because if done correctly you can have convenience and quality at the same time. This can occur when a group of like minded specialists in different fields are brought together to create something unique.
What I do know is that trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for frustration and poor outcomes. I also know – from experience – that working with people who are trying to be all things to you and others rarely ends well. In my opinion, committing to be REALLY good at a few things that are of value to people is the best way to have a fulfilling and successful life. Likewise, seeking the products and services of those who do the same can leverage you into even greater success.
For example, let’s say you are about to build your dream home (or life J). If you share my handyman skills you will need someone else to take care of the electrical, plumbing, foundation, drywall, alarm system, etc. Would you feel more comfortable having a jack-of-all-trades doing all of these jobs for you? Or, would you prefer different people who each specialize in that one thing that they spend all of their time on, week after week, attend seminars to constantly get better at, and literally dream about the job that they are so passionate about? Who would you trust your legacy with?
This is easy to see in the example of a brick and mortar house. It is just as applicable to every single part of your life.
When I graduated from Chiropractic school in 2000, my class-mates set up practices all over the world with styles and focuses as different as their location. To be honest, we were told so many different things by so many doctors and teachers in school that it could be a bit confusing and overwhelming.
My commitment to myself and my future patients was to become world class and to never stop getting better at whatever I was doing. That meant to decide on the best system I could find to help people the way I wanted to help them and then tirelessly strive to get great at it. Over time that system has been changed, tweaked and refined to best serve our objective, but the commitment remains the same.
That commitment means travelling to seminars to work with the best in the world, many times each year – even after 13 years in practice. It means meeting with my most trusted colleagues and peers in person and on the phone to practice and discuss refinements. And yes, it also means that sometimes the pursuit keeps me up at night and frequently visits my dreams!
Of course, it also means that I say ‘NO’ to lots of ‘cool’ stuff. There is a lot of ‘cool’ stuff out there in ‘health care.’ However, if that ‘cool’ stuff takes me away from my focus and objective, I leave it for someone else. ‘Cool’ counts when it comes to a t-shirt, the care I provide…not so much.
Many people I meet are unhappy because they are distracted by trying to do too many things, for too many reasons. Ask yourself what you really want to create for you and others and bust your butt getting great at it. You will instantly start feeling happier and more focused and soon you will start to recognize others who do the same. Now you will start to get the results that had always been elusive.
Due to the threat of bad weather on Tuesday night, we were forced to postpone our Best Year of Your Life workshop. It will now be held on Feb. 19th at 7pm. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change.
Keep an eye out for our new Nexus Chiropractic mugs, bottles and gear. We will be officially changing the Practice name at the end of April and slowly rolling out new cards, letterhead, goodies, and signage in the meantime. There has been some confusion as to why we are changing our name that I wanted to clarify. We have NOT been bought out or become partners with a large corporation. I think I can say that that will never happen! As many of you know, I have been passively considering hiring an associate doctor for some time and having the practice named after me is a deterrent to making that happen. Also, over the years our practice has become something bigger than just the doctor and we wanted a name to reflect that. Anyhow, we are very excited about all of the improvements underway!