***Pain & Pleasure of Life & Practice

Many of the clients I coach want to increase the volume in their practice. They believe that by doing this all of the pain and problems in their life will be over. They believe that "there” is better than “here" and so they fight and scratch to get to the next level of practice volume.

What they usually find out when they get to that level is that some of their earlier problems are in fact gone or greatly reduced. However what shocks most of these doctors is the number of new problems and pains associated with the new volume in practice that they didn't see coming.

I had to learn this the hard way to be able to share it with you. From listening to all the practice management “guru’s” I honestly believed that something magical and/or mystical was going to take place in my life and practice when I got to 300 office visits per week. Then I got there and realized that I still had problems and pains, they had just changed forms!

Well, I reasoned, the magic must start at 400 visits per week and so I worked to get there. Once I got there I realized there were still lots of the old pains and some new ones I didn't anticipate. Well the magic must start at 500/week I thought to myself. WRONG !! Then lets take it to 600/week and change a team member and build a new building and ........................... FINALLY THE GONG WENT OFF IN MY HEAD!!

THERE IS EQUAL PLEASURE AND PAIN IN ALL THINGS IN LIFE!

Certainly at volumes of 500 and 600 visits per week (which I ran for many, many years) the financial concerns and pains were quite different then when I was early in practice and wondered if I was going to be able to make my car payment that month. Now the concerns shifted too "can I make my quarterly tax installment on time" and " I wonder who is going to come around asking me to borrow money this week!" Different pains but pains none the less.

I also had to keep my focus "laser sharp" at all times and couldn't let my guard down for a minute (I worked 7 hour shifts without a break) or I would run behind and have team members and practice members glaring at me and looking at their watches. I had to stay constantly creative in marketing for new members and motivating the team. I had to keep up with the training and administration or things would start to "go to hell in a hand basket!" Heck this was no "promised land" I realized and I had to change something and change it fast!

I DECIDED THAT FROM THAT MOMENT ON I WAS GOING TO DO WHAT I "LOVED TO DO" AND NOT WHAT EVERYONE ELSE THOUGHT I SHOULD DO. I WAS GOING TO LISTEN TO THE "WEE SMALL VOICE WITHIN" AND GET CLEAR ABOUT MY PRIORITIES AND VALUE SYSTEMS AND DO WHAT I FELT CALLED TO DO BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.

I immediately slashed my hours by 33%, took a two week holiday and went to an all cash practice. I started to focus even more on quality care and not just quantity care and raised my fees accordingly. I booked 10 weeks of holidays that year and have been doing that every year for the past 15 years. I became a better chiropractor, a better father, a better husband, a better friend and a happier more fulfilled human being as a result of this realization and the changes I undertook as a result.

That is not to say that I don't have pains and problems now, it is just that they are more tolerable and I adapt to them easier because I am consciously creating my life in my own ideal and realize that the pasture is not always greener over there!! I am more content and fulfilled with my life for it is truly now MY LIFE!