|
January 2005, Vol. 15, No. 1
Table of Contents
ACA's New CCGPP Guidelines • An Opinion of Shortcomings CBP® • ASHN: Chiropractic Enemy • CBP® fosters international Research Collaboration • CBP® Research Corner • Contraction/Expansion Mentally • COX Inhibitors and the FDA • Counter Point • Do You Practice CBP®? • Don's Opinion • European Spine Accepts CBP® Clinical Control Trial • Regarding the Use of Body Weighting • SAC Reaffirms Life University's Accreditation • Spine Accepts CBP® Research • The Diminishing Return Triangle • Traction Details • Validity of PosturePrint™
back to front page
Contraction/Expansion Mentally
by R. J. Hammett, D.C.
Dr. Hammett is a chiropractor in private practice in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After graduating from Life College in 1979, he completed several post-graduate programs in Physical Impairments, Diagnostic Imaging and Rehabilitation. He completed his Juris Doctor in 1995. He has written articles for several Journals and has lectured to numerous Chiropractic groups on the topics of Practice Management and Risk Prevention.
Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with several DC’s around the country. Newly graduated and veterans. Looking back over my conversations with them about the state of their practices and the state of the profession, two different mentalities began to show up, one of contraction and one of expansion. Looking at a practitioner’s statistics, gives you only a partial picture of their practice status. More importantly, listening to how they describe the status of their practice, gives a better clue as to what the future would bring in their world of chiropractic. Little phrases and words these chiropractors used in our conversations gave me a better understanding of what was happening in their lives and practices. The rest of this article is written for you as a checklist to monitor you and your practice.
First, the contraction mentally. In every case, where a chiropractor’s practice was stagnant or declining, certain words and phrases were constantly used. Look at the following list and test yourself.
Contraction Mentally:
A. I can’t find good staff.
B. There are too many new chiropractors in town.
C. All my patients have HMOs/PPOs, with poor coverage.
D. People don’t believe in chiropractic.
E. The medical community has a negative effect on chiropractic in my town.
F. Those new patient promotions don’t work for me.
G. Chiropractors are only good for bad backs and aches.
H. I’m too old, I’m too young.
I. Practice consultants are only interested in my money.
J. Patients are stupid, they just don’t get it.
K. The weather has been too hot or too cold, that’s why the practice is down.
L. What ever I do, never seems to increase the practice.
The list of contraction mentally is many pages longer than this, but you should get the idea. Any of these sound like you?
Expansion mentally is covered by this one phase “What ever it takes!” In many years of consulting and practice, when I’ve come across a Doctor who sincerely tells me “I’ll do what ever it takes to get chiropractic to the masses;” I’ve been amazed by the overnight changes that happen. I’ve seen, and personally experienced practices doubling and tripling in size and profitability in a few weeks. So what are the characteristics of an expansion mentally chiropractor? Here they are.
Expansion Mentally:
A. What can I do to improve my patient care and experience in my office?
B. If I have a poor staff member, I’ll try once more. If they don’t improve, they leave.
C. I’m on a mission to change the world, one person at a time.
D. I’m constantly on the look out for better ways of delivering my care and organizing my clinic.
E. There is no competition, for there is only one of me.
F. My focus is on what happens inside my clinic.
G. The only limits are those I create.
H. I live a balanced lifestyle; home, work, play.
I. I set up goals and plans take action.
Just like the contraction mentally, the expansion mentally has many more catch phrases and actions. You see, it’s just as you’ve heard, your destiny and success in practice, as in life, is what you decide it will be! So what have you decided?
For the next week, listen to what you say to yourself and others. What words and phrases are you using to describe your present state? Have you fallen into a rut of a contraction mentally, or have you discovered that you have control on your perception of your life? Remember... action/reaction!
. . . ‘til next time.
| 
