I am writing this article sitting in my home having missed my second day of work in a row due to being sick. This is a big deal because since opening my practice in 2000 (that is 16 years ago) I had only missed one half of a day sick prior to this week.

Save for a couple of serious illnesses as a child this is the ‘sickest’ I can ever remember being. Up until a few hours ago there would have been no way I could have written this article because I could neither drag myself off of the couch nor think straight. The strange thing about this experience is that while I am annoyed about missing work and disappointed that I allowed myself to become vulnerable to the illness, I am actually grateful and know it will have a lasting positive impact on my life and health.

Why would anybody feel gratitude towards being so sick they thought they were going to die (not really, but it sure felt like it)?

The first reason is that this sickness has me completely motivated to make some positive changes in my lifestyle. This requires the individual to not see themselves as the victim for being sick. This is rare in our society and that is too bad. I recently wrote an article about how to stay healthy over the holidays and while I generally followed my own advice (continued doing the good, healthy stuff) I went a bit too far with late nights and unhealthy food and drink. I tempted fate and I got burned.

The positive spin on this was that I was planning on changing some things regarding my health in the New Year. After the experience of the last few days there is now no way I will not make it happen. On the other hand, had I perceived this illness as bad luck caused by germ A or virus B there would be less impetus to change. Pain is a wonderful motivator and if you are going to experience it you might as well use it.

The second thing I am grateful for is that it gave me the opportunity to do absolutely NOTHING. In fact it forced me to do nothing as I could barely read, let alone move.

I live a lifestyle that moves pretty fast – work, seminars, coaching, and two kids in multiple sports. We take vacations but even then we are either doing activities or I am plowing through books I don’t have time to read the rest of the year.

The last couple of days I spent most of my time doing nothing. Just lying in my bed or on the couch. While it isn’t fun to feel like crap you learn a lot when you literally cannot do anything. Without actively pursuing that line of thinking I became much clearer on what I wanted my life to look and feel like and I am much more motivated to get going on that life.

It was also kind of nice to sit on the couch with my family watching a crappy movie without thinking about all the stuff I have to do – and that NEVER happens in my normal life.

Being sick is not fun but it can provide you with value when it occurs. If you don’t see yourself as a victim you can take the experience and turn it into something great. This idea of taking the experience of pain and turning it into progress can be the greatest concept to embrace in making 2016 the best year of your life. I will be expanding on that idea in the next article.

Happy New Year!

This weekend I attended a technique workshop related to Neurospinal Optimization. When I introduced myself to the group, I included that I had been to, “a thousand thousands of these workshops.”

While ‘a thousand’ is a bit of an exaggeration, I DO go to several of these seminars a year and plan on continuing to do so throughout the rest of my career.

Why do I do this? Is it because I am slow and have to repeat the same material over and over (I think some of the less experienced doctors there may have thought so)?

I attend the same seminars and workshops over and over again because technical mastery of the skills I use every day working with patients is very important to me. When something is important it not only makes sense to expand your knowledge around that topic but to also consistently practice and refine the fundamentals.

What made Michael Jordan great? He practiced more than anyone. The same can be said of the best in any sport or discipline.

So, one of the costs of Mastery is spending the time, energy and money to consistently pay attention to the fundamentals. I wanna be Michael Jordan, not the guy sitting on the bench.

There is another cost to Mastery and that is focus. I get flyers and emails offering the newest machine, fad and technique that will supposedly revolutionize health care on a daily basis. I’ve been in practice long enough to see these fads come and go, only to be replaced by the next one.

While it is important to be open to new ideas, a master can be running from one shiny new thing to the next. A master knows what their focus is and stays with it. When I am offered a course or fancy machine I ask myself if this is the best way to further my focus. If the answer is ‘No’ I move on. Do I miss out on some interesting and cool stuff at times? You bet. BUT it is worth it because I have furthered myself on the road to mastery.

I see the personal Neurospinal Optimization care I receive in the same way. Our nervous system is what senses our surroundings and then responds to those stimuli. Our muscles, organs and immune system. Knowing that, having an optimally functioning nervous system is VERY IMPORTANT to me. Because it is VERY IMPORTANT I am willing to put consistent attention on it.

You see, I know that to be healthy and to function well in life I must have a nervous system that is keenly aware, efficient and responsive. If I have a condition called a Neural Shift, not only am I more likely to develop pain and other unpleasant secondary conditions, but I just won’t be able to function at my best.

So, I spend hours in my car every week to drive to the closest doctor who can provide this care (can’t look after myself unfortunately), pay cash (no insurance) for my visits and have happily done so for 12 years. Why? Because it is important and I want the nervous system function of Michael Jordan, not the bench player.

Like anything of value, there is a cost to Mastery. There are also benefits that will literally transform your life and health. Decide what is important to you and pay attention to it. Master the fundamentals, focus and don’t be distracted by the shiny new thing.

The path of mastery is just that – a path. You can start anywhere and you can start today.

2012 was a great year for Gault Family Chiropractic and its’ practice members and we have some incredible things in store for 2013. As you know, over our 12 years of practice we constantly learn new things, refine our care and evolve both our clinical skills and service to you in the office. We are currently in the midst of another such evolution as we have many exciting things we will be unveiling in the new year.

Any time changes are taking place, it is important to know EXACTLY where you are coming FROM. You can’t leave a place you don’t know you are at (someone really smart said something like that)! There is no better time to assess where we are than at the start of a New Year, so in this article I will highlight 2012 at Gault Family Chiropractic. Next week I will give you a peak of what is ahead in 2013.

BTW…I recommend doing this with yourself with any part of your life that is important to you (health, finances, relationships, etc.).

Since the office opened in 2000, one of the things that has set us apart is the support we provide our practice members through coaching and workshops that help people to take what they gain through our care and apply it to their lives. 2012 was no different as we continued with our regular workshops and SRI coaching while adding a completely new quarterly program called The Fireside Chat. The chat is a more advanced workshop with a short presentation by me followed by opening the floor for questions and conversation including hands-on demonstrations. Our first two chats have been a huge hit and have been lots of fun for everyone. Our next Fireside Chat  will be March 26^th.

    As per tradition we started 2012 with our Best Year of Your Life workshop in January to kick off your year right and we will be starting 2013 the same way on Jan. 29^th. This workshop is NOT to be missed.

Many of you know that when it comes to clinical care, I am obsessed with delivering high quality. We focus on NSRT (NeuroSpinal Restructuring Technique) with the goal of correcting Neural Resistance and I take that goal very seriously. It is for that reason we invest a tremendous amount of time and energy (and Air Miles) continuing to refine our skills. NSA is one of the tools I use to achieve this and in 2012 I attended both the Advanced NSA seminar and The Bridge program in Denver and had the opportunity to study closely with system developer Dr. Epstein.

In addition, in 2012 I studied some new complementary tools our practice members can learn to reduce Neural Resistance and we will be expanding the use of these in 2013.

Over the years we have realized that we are more than just a chiropractic office. Our practice members become a part of our family and sometimes our office becomes like a second home. For that reason we made a lot of ‘home’ renovations to make our physical space more inviting and conducive to promoting your health. More will follow.

While I never wanted to be a product ‘pusher’ (and am still not) we realized that many of our important complementary recommendations for supplements and other things were not being carried out due to lack of availability. It is for that reason we expanded our product line to high quality fish oil, vitamin D and probiotics, as well as EMF fighting Q-link products and spine supporting pillows. All of these products are personally used by myself and my family and are an excellent way to support your care by reducing Neural Resistance.

2012 was also a year that my profile as a speaker and coach outside of the practice took off. In October I was honoured to be one of the headline speakers at Cornwall’s 2^nd annual BizFest where I spoke about the same principles we teach in the office and how to use them to face adversity in life and business. I also continued to run the first year coaching, tutoring and practice evaluation program for X-CELS – an international company teaching chiropractors around the world. I love working with this program because it allows me to have an impact not JUST in my community, but internationally as well.

Of course many other things happened in 2012, but in a nutshell, this is where we are at. Lots to celebrate and so much more possible. I am even more excited to share what we have in store to serve you even better in 2013! Stay tuned for next week’s article.

Happy New Year!

Many of you outside the NSA practitioner world will not be familiar with my mentors, colleagues, employers, and dear friends, husband and wife team Drs. Pierre Bernier and Christine Bourque of Gatineau, Quebec. Those of you close to me know that there are very few people who have had a greater impact on my life than these two amazing individuals.

The reason I am writing this article now is that this past Friday they were celebrating the 30^th anniversary of their chiropractic practice. While I was unable to attend the party, it was an opportunity to reflect on how they have influenced me as both a network practitioner and human being. I cannot possibly express how grateful I am to have known them for the past 11 years.

Pierre and Christine have been my personal chiropractors since 2001, became my coaches and mentors shortly thereafter, and gave me my first job as a coach and consultant to chiropractors in 2008. No one has been a greater influence on my chiropractic career and with the exception of my parents and family has impacted my life more powerfully. For those of you who have been a part of my practice, their signature is literally everywhere.

Pierre and Christine have taught me too many things to document, however I thought this article was a great chance to highlight the most important.

The first thing they provided me was a model for a successful, busy, and fun NSA practice. After having a life changing experience at my first Network seminar with Dr. Epstein in 2001, I started receiving regular care with Pierre and Christine. They were able to take a peak experience and turn it into something real and sustainable. I was absolutely terrified to start practicing this “extraordinary” looking work after being a traditional chiropractor. Without them there is no way I could have made our current practice a reality.

Something else they instilled in me was the importance of clinical excellence. From the time I was a student I was obsessed with technical mastery. This is why I have always travelled to seminars all over the place so often. Pierre and Christine helped me to take this to a completely new level. Every time I think to myself that I am getting great, I attend one of their workshops or Clear Days and have to completely recommit to stepping up my game. This is a gift I can never repay.

Another important attribute Pierre and Christine exude is the desire to contribute their gifts to the world. They are in a position that they don’t NEED to continue to work at the incredible pace they do. They don’t NEED to practice like they always have. They did not NEED to commit a huge amount of time and energy creating a program to help other Network doctors thrive 5 years ago when they saw the need. They do it because they love helping people and this is what they do best (yes, even better than golf)!

The most simple and profound thing I have learned from Pierre and Christine is that you can be supremely generous and ultimately successful at the same time. Honestly, this was a tough one for me. There is no need for further explanation; this is exactly what they are.

Pierre and Christine are not just celebrating 30 years of practice. They are celebrating having a direct, positive influence on tens of thousands of lives, an indirect influence on many, many more, and serving as an example of mastery to so many who touch so many.

There is no way I could possibly repay all you have given to me. All I can hope to do is to continue to follow your lead and work to turn each grain of wheat you have given me into a golden field that will feed all of the cities of the earth (except with bacon, not gluten).

« Any person who contributes to prosperity must prosper in turn. »
E. Nightingale

Many of you know that I just returned from a weekend NSA technique seminar in Gatineau with my chiropractor and mentor Dr. Pierre Bernier. For those of you who have been around Gault Family Chiropractic for awhile know that I attend programs like this on a regular basis. In fact, I have been to so many technique seminars and workshops that it has become a bit of a joke to ask me “haven’t you got IT yet?”

So, in case you were wondering no, I am not slow or stupid! Actually, I pick up technique quite well and quickly which for me makes attending regular seminars even more relevant and exciting.

Why Do YOU Keep Going?

I know some of our long term practice members get the same inquiries from their friends, family and coworkers. “Aren’t you fixed yet?” This brings up an important point about our health and life. Don’t the most important aspects of our life deserve constant attention and refinement? Do you show your significant other love and affection for a little while and then stop because they are “good?” Do you get your teeth really clean and white one day and then stop brushing? Do you learn the basics of a musical instrument you love and then stop practicing? I hope you are starting to get my point.

Sharpen Your Saw

Stephen Covey, in his bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, talks about sharpening the saw. This means that we consistently take the time and energy to practice, improve, nurture and refine those parts of our lives that are most important to us. For me, the ability to deliver Network care to as many people as I can at a high level is extremely important. It is part of my mission in life. As a result I consistently invest my time and money into attending programs that will help me to always be improving. When will I stop this? Never, obviously!

What is Important in Your Life?

What is important in your life? What is your mission in life made up of? Where do you need to consistently improve and what do you need to invest to make sure that happens? Perhaps it is as simple as focusing on being a better and better parent. Maybe a relationship could use consistent TLC. If finances are important to you, constant attention is required to be successful. If you are an athlete truly dedicated to your sport you must continue to sharpen your saw.

Health is Wealth

Health is an area that can undermine all other parts of our lives if it is not optimal. That includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. When we are not healthy it makes it extremely difficult to refine anything else. In order to be healthy in the above realms we must have an excellent ability to be aware of our internal and external environments and then be able to respond effectively.

Network Care

Network Spinal Analysis entrainments – through the body – help you to become more aware and more resourceful at responding to the world. Because the focus is on greater awareness and developing new strategies that you never had before – as opposed to fixing something – there appears to be no limit in how refined you become.

People who receive regular NSA care over extended periods of time do so because they think it is important to refine their ability to respond to and experience life. I can’t think of anything much more important. This is the same reason I go to lots of seminars – not because I am stupid.

I invite you to decide what is important to you and commit to sharpening your saw. You will quickly see that the effort is more than worth it.

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