What are we willing to agree on?

by Leslie Hewitt, DC

Something ancient and sacred is now being opened up on the planet with a center nexus, which is our collective voice. This is an opportunity for our chiropractic profession unlike any since chiropractic’s inception in 1895. I’m concerned that we’re creating language that separates us rather than collaborating in a co-creative way.

Remember the Venn diagram? Models, like the intersecting circles shown, help us to make sense of our chiropractic tribes. I say tribes because, despite our differences, we need to agree on the center. What are we willing to agree on? Whether derived from one’s purpose or evidence-based research, a model like this offers us a means of comprehending an otherwise incomprehensible problem. Finding our chiropractic nexus gives structure and meaning, enabling a semblance of conscious understanding.

Abraham Lincoln said, “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” We require a new response and a new belief to the current economic situation within chiropractic. It’s time to collaborate, co-brand, and co-create. It feels like vulnerability. It feels like weakness. It’s counter-intuitive and it feels like giving in. It feels like you’ll lose the fight. The concept throws everyone out of his or her comfort zone.

Remember that the ego is masterful at rationalizing a position and has one agenda - it wants to be right and it wants to win. There’s an old adage that says, “There are three sides to every story... yours, mine, and the truth.” When we come together and stop the fight amongst ourselves, we'll rise above the problems facing our profession. Solutions will present themselves in a way we didn’t know existed.

My last article shared my chiropractic spin on Steve Covey’s book, “The 8th Habit.” As I read Mr. Covey’s book, I wondered if perhaps some of his researched statistics are showing up in chiropractic. Keep in mind his book isn’t current to our 2012 economics, but it offers food for thought. Covey shares that only 37% of the people have a clear understanding of their organization’s goals. I’d venture to guess this is true of chiropractors in regard to state and national organizations, legislative issues, and chiropractic’s future. Covey’s book goes on to say that just half of the people are satisfied (50%), only 15% can execute key goals, and just 15% feel trust. Additionally, only 17% feel open communication to bring in new ideas, only 13% have cooperative relationships, and a mere 10% hold people accountable for results.

In science, we see statistics in macrocosms that demonstrate the smaller microcosms, and vice versa. If most organizations follow these statistics, could it be true for chiropractic as our legislative landscape changes?

Are you seated? Someone has to say this, so here goes. We must create unity and connection with each other despite our loyalty to affiliations and organizations. Our significance as the chiropractic microcosm is being called forth to be represented in the macrocosm of national health care. Will you participate fully? That something that is ancient and sacred is our collective voice. Our chiropractic profession has an opportunity like never before and it requires that all our chiropractic tribes come to the center nexus to agree on something.

I’m holding the space in the center. I envision a world of wellness with chiropractic taking the lead.

(Chiropractor, speaker, author, aerobics instructor, and yoga teacher Dr. Leslie Hewitt owns Anatomy Power Wellness Studio - www.AnatomyPower.com - in Danville, Calif., near San Francisco. She’s the founder of The WOW Factor online women of wellness community - www.theWOWfactor.co - and organizer of the WOW conference. Her “life work is to remind people that healing is an inside job.”)