One of my coaching clients asked me the other day if I was excited to be going to TS this coming week. The answer, of course, was a resounding YES. We carried on for a few more moments and I realized that the life changing moments of TS were far more vivid in her perspective than they were in mine. Her world was shaken and stirred to the core and her transformation from that program has been nothing short of miraculous. In those same weeks and months since we parted company on the mountain, my life has chugged along, as planned. Damn, I miss the jolt of not knowing what is around the next corner!
This brings up the lifelong dilemma of whether to be fully engaged in the short lives we lead or to chose the comfy path that leads to a retirement villa in Florida. I am currently helping my 17 year old daughter fill in the endless applications for Universities and scholarships as she preps for her next jump into the unknown. We jokingly defer the decision of which faculty or school she will attend as being inconsequential, in the whole scheme of things. In reality it is a decison that will most likely frame her life path and so that is why we are trying to let our emotions and desires play second fiddle to her needs and desires. As we pass the baton to her, we can only hope that the values of our familyand our faith will be the beacon for her to follow.
As my old friend, Dave Mager reminds me, its Gameface time, all the time! I have been fortunate to have children that love the learning experience and buy into the principle of hard and challenging work as being a gift. These kids are so well prepared for their next steps in life. They are instantly connnected to every bit of information available. They have been granted every comfort and opportunity to ease into life and are more than capable of making big decisions. Its hard to imagine that I ended up in this career with such limited resources to draw from.
As part of the application process for a scholarship, my daughter Cara, wrote these next 300 words. They remind me of how capable our youth are and how we really need to embrace what is around the next corner, with awe and wonder. I hope you enjoy the optimism of youth and ask yourself the same question, “What drives you”? Perhaps in a few words you could express your optimism and feel the power that awaits. That can be your homework, on a Sunday night.
What drives me
By Cara Fletcher
From my earliest memories I have always wanted to be involved. If you were to ask my parents they would tell you that there were few moments when I wasn’t asking,” why” or “how can I be a part of this or that”. What drives me is the great experience of exploring my world. I love to feel the exhilaration of success contrasted with that sinking feeling of failure. I know that even with these setbacks I can find a way to make something work. There is so much to see, so many people to meet, so many places to explore and things to experience.
I have been lucky growing up in a family and school environment that has allowed me to challenge myself and gain the confidence to make a difference. The past few years have confirmed that helping and serving others to be better and to think higher of themselves is my passion. Through the lessons learned from babysitting young children to the community outreach programs that I volunteer at, I realize how much we all have to share with one another. I have skills that can help others to become leaders. I can inspire those disadvantaged to see a brighter future and I can roll up my sleeves and build schools for the children who have little else to look forward to.
My values and my attitudes are what drive me. I come from a family whose motto is stuck to the fridge, to remind us that it’s better to, “choose be kind rather than being right”. I have learned to value the joy that families bring and the success that learning and mentoring can unleash. I know that we are a new generation of young and talented achievers who can make a difference in a world that needs us now.
Its been a few blogs since I focused on the actual scanning of the nervous system. It seems that the congruency and resonance of the philosophy with the scans alters my thought path and presto, its a blog about healing and life journeys.
Todays missive is a hit on reviewing and reporting the sEMG scans. Lets remember that the raw data bar graph is a measure of the energy that is being expended at every level and on each side to assist the person to sit upright against the gravitational pull. This data is measured against a standard, adult database and so the colors represent 1,2 or 3 + standard deviations above the normal. The yellow bars indicate a deviation below the normal. It is a useful graph to determine energy use and efficiency as we observe it on a left to right basis, level by level. We can observe groupings of inefficiencies as whole regions of the spinal musculature react to the stressors of life But here’s an important point: At least the body is capable of reacting! Note the patient that has a very quiet scan but is symptomatic and showing activity on the thermals. Chances are that this is a system that is shutting down, and is no longer full of fight. Be aware of this phenomenon when the profile is out of sync with the scan. Alert the patient that a terrific sign could be a colorful scan as the body awakens.
On that point…I had a revelation of sorts today. So often I set the goals of care for my patient’s to begin with a Release of the neural tension followed by a Rebuilding of newer and healthier strategies. I now believe that the first comment and goal in care is the arousal of Innate followed by a release of neural tension coupled with a reconnection of the relationships that exist in healthier states: spine to nervous system; mind to body;posture to energy; lifestyles to longevity etc. The patient would be coached to understand that despite all medical or outside in approaches, the real starting point is to ignite a spark of consciousness while pulling the weeds so that the Innate intelligence can express itself more completely. The relevance of this lies in the intent and the style of the adjustment. No problem reorganizing movements and muscle chains. Just remember the sequence and ask yourself if each detail of that reconnection reflects your life calling.
See I told you that I would get lost in linking the philosophy of care with the scans!
There’s a great line from the movie, Jerry Maguire. Renee Zellweger confirms her passion for Jerry from the very first moment when she states, ‘You had me from “hello”. My, “hello”, professionally, came when I crossed paths with Joseph Campbell’s writings. When I heard, “follow your bliss”, I was taken aback with the profound simplicity that made total sense. How simple could it be to align your everyday practices with what you love to do? Well, 30 years later I am still refining what “bliss” really means but the journey has been easier than I anticipated. John Demartini taught me to, “Love what you do and do what you love.” I want to believe that he coined this aphorism because I recently saw the new ad campaign for Blackberry was using this line as their whole marketing statement. How cool is it that a chiropractor’s voice of wisdom is driving one of the world’s great corporations. (Canadian I might add!!!)
Another “ah-ha” moment came when I was reading Stephenson’s early works where he casually and certainly states that the power and the reason for the adjustment is simply to “arouse Innate”. Imagine if we were not distracted by the babble of the symptoms and the intrusion of the money and time games that we let into our daily practice lives and could keep focused on “arousing Innate”. I’ll bet that bliss would reveal itself sooner than later.
I’ve been reading and re-reading a couple of interesting books this past week. An absolutely beautiful boy came into the practice 4 weeks ago. He was a 1.75 lb preemie 5 months ago and the Mom and dad are amazing with their desire and commitment to see this baby boy move ahead. He’s challenged but bright as a whip. A week ago they went for a follow up with Sick Kids hospital that shook their reality. In a transformative moment the docs and the medical team labeled the little boy as having a profile that resembles Cerebral Palsy. They were shaken to their core with the label and although it did nothing to alter the care model that was already in place, all of a sudden the hope was swapped out with a named disorder. Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish existentialist philosopher stated it best with; “Once you label me you negate me.” How chiropractic could you get! Our philosophy of vitalism talks to the whole person regardless of their symptom state. Whether its back pain or CP, our role is to identify where the intelligence of the cosmos is being interrupted as it works its way through the tissues of the body. An adjusted human stands a much greater chance to adapt to the moment and to achieve the destiny that is somehow trapped in their DNA and mind.
The little boy and his parents are rebounding and regrouping. The fear of the unknown future that the label CP presents is shocking. As a parent, I can feel the pain that kind of fear creates and I can also reconnect to the gratitude for all things in my life that are near-perfect. What this little soul has done for me is to raise my intention from merely being one of his care providers. He has helped me discover a passion for helping and healing that I needed and wanted to get to for many years. I know that as I adjust him I will envision the future without the label of CP and attempt to arouse his Innate.
Kierkegaard also wrote, “I must find a truth that is true for me.” The time must come when we confront our distractions and illusions and create a daily experience that reflects who and what we stand for. My little angel has pushed me to remember that the numbers in practice, insurance co-pays or any other number of minutias are my tests to see if I can deliver the truth with each adjustment. Wish me luck.
“We make a living from what we get but we make a life from what we give.” Charles Kettering
I remember when I hired my first coach, he asked me whether my desire was to work with a coach or a consultant. Truthfully, I didn’t really know the distinction between the two. I was at a time I my career where I was searching for growth and simplicity all wrapped into one. I knew that to grow emotionally and productively that I would have to slay some of the sacred cows that held me back in practice but I really didn’t want a plastic, Rah-Rah, approach to number growth. My situation was a little bit unique as I was at a transitional time where I had already achieved a substantial practice and was searching for the “what’s next?” However, I soon realized that the process of change was the same, regardless of where you were on the continuum.
I had committed to the coach and his success without really thinking through what context I would be coached or consulted through. I had thrown my trust in him and here he was asking the question that would really frame our experience. What was the difference? As I would come to learn and experience through that relationship and through the training and the thousands of clients I have worked with is that there is an absolute necessity to blend the two concepts rather than keep them separate.
The joy of being coached is the inner exploration of what drives you. The joy of consulting is in creating a unique, personalized framework that optimizes the expression of your passion to serve. Coaching is process that unlocks talent. Consulting is using best practice procedures and implementing them through leadership and management. You have to know yourself and have enough self esteem to spend the time, energy and focused commitment to make your system come alive. The passion for your services to be displayed and utilized in the marketplace should be strong enough to drive you to make the tough choices and the systematic changes.
A coach’s responsibility and skill is probably best described as being a trusted advisor. The trust comes from the ability to do that unlocking and nurturing of the innate talent. The advisor describes the “walk in my shoes” concept. Experience is such a good teacher and coaching should bring enormous experience to the table: experience in management modeling, experience in relationship building, experience in personal foundation development and experience in creating success strategies.
This distinction between coaching and consulting is relevant every day in our lives and in our practices. I believe the mission to become the patient’s trusted advisor is the far reaching goal in the relationship. Contrast this with the dispensation of medical advice that we see all too often in walk-in clinics. The “don’t bother me” approach reduces the service session to a technician experience for both the provider and the patient. Developing the role as a trusted advisor takes a bit longer and a lot more emotional connectivity but the rewards are exponential. Coaching your patients towards wellness decisions and standing by them when they falter is why we give of our time. Just think of the untapped talent and potential that a coach could unlock and nurture vs. being their health care consultant. Ask yourself how big the fellow within really is.
We are only gifted a short stay as practitioners in this wonderful playground known as career and practice. The time flies by and although the lessons are in the mistakes, there are so many tolerations and repetitions that slow us down and waste life energy. Coaching with a trusted advisor can make the difference.
Create a GAP( Greatness Action Plan) and bridge the gap between where you are and where you know you will be. Call in for a free consultation to see if GAP Coaching is for you. We now offer extremely affordable monthly coaching plans and of course can customize the experience to meet your needs and desires.
John Demartini taught me long ago that you can’t plant flowers until you pull the weeds. John and I have been friends for many years as I was one of his first students. Of all the brilliance and genius that he shares with the world, this simple concept is as worthy as any other. Just think of the ramifications this statement has in relationships, life planning and of course, patient care plans. Subluxations are weeds. Plain and simple. They are organic and part of the bio-logical process. I suppose we could even say they are beautiful at some level, but they are undesirable in the realm of progress. Take a look at your lawn or better yet the neighbor’s lawn. Where do those weeds come from? It’s either neglect or misinformation. Neglect if you knew better, misinformation if you were guessing and operating through a myth. The mystery of weeds is as common as the mystery and the continuance of subluxation. Do we ever rid the lawn of weeds? Unlikely. We control the eruption of them using hygienic strategies but at times we have to pull them out and hope we got to the root of the problem. Certain weeds just seem to come back despite best actions.
I’m sure you are getting the picture. Care plans are, at best, a defensive strategy that helps the innate ability of adaptation and expression of potential come alive. Like pulling weeds or managing the “perfect lawn” we make a commitment that has no definitive ending. Biology does not embrace a sprint to the finish line. It’s a marathon that fluctuates within the GAP with the goal being to stretch the high limits without plumbing the lower ones.
Weeds indicate an unhealthy or less than optimal terrain. Pasteur labored over this notion and finally relented on his deathbed when he stated (sic)” It is the soil not the seed” in reference to pathogens causing disease. Weeds and subluxations emerge to our attention long after they have begun their journey. By the time we envision them on scans and certainly on later stage diagnostics like x-ray, they have become a cause as much as an effect. They are part of the fabric of daily living or lawn that we must tend to. I remember reading a National Geographic article that had a fold out section of NYC now and what it would look like after a potential biologic warfare event had taken out all the mammals(humans included). In a very short time frame the weeds had won. The entire cement infrastructure was crumbling as the weeds infiltrated and grew relentlessly. They shattered the hard structures as they allowed water and other pathogens to seep in. It wasn’t long before the host was compromised. Think of the consequences of leaving weeds untended in our patients.
Let’s face it. It’s so much more fun and fulfilling to plant flowers than to pull weeds. However, what we know is that the ideal garden has to be prepared first and then tended to. Your care plans must be designed and adhered to if the weeds are rooted out. Only then can the flowers that we call wellness strategies be planted successfully. Use the scans to check your progress and to inform the patient of their successes. This is the essence of my Path to Wellness care plan model. Release is an essential component before the Rebuilding is set up. Revitalization is the reward for the efforts of the first two stages.
GAP Coaching offers relevant and exceptional training to help you transition your practice from spine care to wellness. Its straight forward and successful. We not only help you weed your garden but plant the right flowers that are weed-resistant. Write me at docfletch@docfletch.com with your thoughts and book a time to discuss your practice direction and growth. I love hearing stories from the field.
