The purpose-driven assignment
I ask each of my clients to tell me their story of how they became a chiropractor. Occasionally, I hear someone say they really felt a "calling. At first, I thought this was only as a result of a "life changing experience in chiropractic. But, over time, it was revealed to me in a shockingly new discovery that when a person suddenly becomes rooted and grounded in a belief or principle, his or her assignment is unveiled within.
People go on for years just doing what they do, never examining if what they’re doing is truly what they were meant to do. Any work can be important, honorable, and even sacred, if it’s seen as a calling to serve others. That’s why there are hotel maids, janitors, and groundskeepers who are much more fulfilled by their work then many chiropractors.
No matter what kind of work you perform, if there’s any financial transaction involved, it’s "sales. For the chiropractor whose main focus is treating conditions, selling is coercion. On the other hand, for a DC whose main focus is business, selling is a means to the end. And, for the chiropractor whose main focus is fulfilling his or her passion and purpose, selling is the start block of leadership.
In the New Testament of the Christian bible, book of Luke, the story of a servant is told who serves his master and receives no thanks. Why? Because he was simply doing what he was "supposed to do. When a chiropractor finds what he or she is supposed to be doing, planets rotate faster, stars align and light is emitted off the surface of the earth. Well, maybe not all of that happens, but the world does become a better place to live.
Seeking approval or recognition for what you do is a sure fire way to underachieve in practice. What exactly are you supposed to be doing? Who or what may be preventing you from doing it? Anyone can give people what they want. Very few give people what they need. "Find a need, fill a need.
For a chiropractor, the need was identified more than a century ago. The missing link, however, is finding your own assignment, the blueprint for which you’ve been called to create. Everyone on the planet needs healing, but what’s your part to play? The first rule of leadership: "Someone is always leading. You’re either leading your patients to a new and better paradigm or they’re leading you to provide a service to help them get by. If at times it feels like the latter, there’s just one reason: you’ve veered from your assignment.
Being purpose driven must be felt on the inside before it can be expressed on the outside. Therefore, you can’t use external indicators to determine "true north. The needle of a compass continues to point the way, even when temperature or terrain is changing. "Once a week for life, is such a simple concept. But simple rarely means easy. While one adjustment per week may be easy to understand, it’s not easy to BELIEVE, and even less easy to DO. Nonetheless, it’s in the best interest of every adult and child you’ll ever meet. Once a week for life may be met with financial challenges, scheduling difficulties, philosophical differences, spousal conflicts, opposing second opinions (to name a few), yet we move ahead without hesitation. Why? Because that’s what we’re supposed to do.
There’s nothing more powerful in the world then a made-up mind. Your expert opinion is the most valuable asset you own. When it comes to people’s health, they don’t want a menu, they need an expert recommendation. It may not have them jumping for joy (at first), but it may very well extend or improve their life. A made-up mind comes before we meet someone, know their name or their circumstances. It comes before we know their insurance coverage, their age or where they live. A person who leads with this kind of conviction and certainty is always happier and more successful.
Let’s review. The principles that govern all healing haven’t changed and never will, the power source for all healing hasn’t changed and never will, the cause of sickness hasn’t changed and never will, the solution that releases the power hasn’t changed and never will, the universal forces that lead to the cause of sickness haven’t changed and never will. Questions? These things aren’t affected in the slightest by a newfangled technique or the latest scientific discovery or the newest antioxidant berry or even a brand new insurance code. People are longing for someone to tell them the truth, show them the way, and hold them accountable to "walking it out. These people happen to be the happiest, healthiest people on earth -- LOVEMARKS who share their story with everyone they meet.
Patients don’t own the principle of chiropractic before entering your practice. If however, they don’t own the principle before they begin their care, their belief system is already skewed.
In the diagram, we see the spectrum of influence. Level 8 represents a strong belief in the principles of chiropractic. Simply put, patients whose level of belief is below 8, rarely stay under care. Patients whose beliefs are Level 8 or above, rarely leave their care. If you truly understand what you just read, your assignment’s been revealed to you! No one should be allowed to continue their care with only a mild or moderate belief (Levels 5-7) in the core principles of chiropractic (regardless of how well they’re feeling from their adjustments). Why? Because without strong belief, they’ll minimize the true cause of their health problems and therefore reduce the power of chiropractic to relief care. Patient care seldom leads to Level 8 beliefs by itself. Your passion and purpose are absolutely vital to their transformation.
This month, whatever you decide to pursue in your practice, make sure it’s purpose-driven and integrally tied to your assignment. There’s a fine line between arrogance and attractiveness. Let your renewed passion lead you to become a new patient magnet. Let your new found sense of ordained assignment lead you boldly through a difficult or challenging circumstance, and emerge victorious. There’s only one you and one lifetime in which to serve others and express yourself! Once you’ve learned what you are supposed to do, the rest always follows.
If you still need some direction, perhaps feel you’ve lost your way, don’t hesitate to call. Ninety five percent of chiropractors who serve more than 300 adjustments per week have a coach who helped them get where they are today. Most of our clients have shared with me just how lost and confused or frustrated they’d been before their careers truly turned around. Make this your best year yet, and imagine how many lives will have been transformed in the process.
(Dr. CJ Mertz is the founder and head coach of Full Potential Leadership, the leading chiropractic training organization. See current FPL opportunities on the back page of this issue. To transform your life and your practice using your Full Potential, visit www.fpl4life.com or call the FPL team today at 512-474-1895.)