James Cameron’s new movie Avatar comes out this week. I’m not much of a sci-fi buff and I remember literally crawling under the seat when Alien first came out so to believe that I am a Cameron groupie is a bit of a stretch. What I do love doing is reading compelling interviews given by really creative people. Cameron is a Canadian and so I believe there is a little give back when he grants the interviews. Regardless, he spoke in length to The Toronto Star and the focus was more on his journey than being a movie promo. I loved when he described himself as being an “explorer and an artist””. This resonated with me to my core. I have memories of poring over the National Geographic (for more than the bare breasted African women!) as a kid and dreaming what it would be like to explore the far reaches of the globe. To this day I am in awe of the Victorians as they launched themselves into the voids of sea, mountains and deserts, totally unprepared but striving to be a part of the next great discovery. I think of DD and BJ as they took on the establishment and promoted a new perspective that highlighted the injustice of outside-in, torturous medicine. I think of the everyday pioneers who I have rubbed shoulders within our profession. The amazing ones are chiropractors who love the entrepreneurial spirit. They are the artists who look at ways to share the great message and to plumb new depths in the understanding of human potential and health. The less than amazing ones; and there are many; are the entrepreneurs who use their chiropractic knowledge and degree to build a business for themselves without regard for the profession.
Choosing to be a chiropractor allows us to be explorers and artists. If we relegate our careers to being just a job and to being the means for providing an income, the days over the tables will be long and very tedious. On the other hand, if we look at the world as an enormous playground and realize the devastating effects of subluxation on human health and potential, we can stand, awestruck and imagine how big our worlds are. I spoke with a DC in China last week and he reminded me that that there were only 5 DC’s in Beijing. That’s about one for every 3 million residents. He told me that some crappy entrepreneur had gone to Taiwan and sold weekend courses to the public and the medics on the use of Activator Methods. An amazing, 50,000 people had gone through the program. The number is staggering and needs to be clarified but you can see the intent. The DC whom I spoke with was a pioneer of a different breed. He wants to keep the message of chiropractic pure and asked me to share some good language hooks to tell the right people the right message about us. It all comes down to intent and in the end that intent reflects our integrity.
Another artist that explores the far reaches of his given talent is Victor Wooten. He’s a bass player and for a treat, catch this youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR6t47pV8Qc and note how fast this guy’s hands can move on the bass. He’s truly amazing and when others ask how he can do it he says that he does what he can with his talent but where others see perfection he sees opportunity to grow from his flaws. He runs a bass camp for kids and when he was interviewed he made the comment that playing the music is the easy part but the real challenge is learning and becoming who you were meant to be through the use of your talents.
Chiropractic adjusting and practice management are the easy parts. What they do for you is the real question. You have been gifted the brains and the opportunity to share a very unique story. What you do with it is why I want to be with you as we explore the next frontiers. It’s time to get our houses in order and get on with the exploration through our art. Become unconsciously competent at adjusting and running the practice so that you can awaken to the new reality of sharing this chiropractic story with millions of people. It’s the hippest message around and the youthful DC’s that I work with confirm that the old is dead and the new is just beginning. Let’s make 2010 the beginning of the end of narrow minded thinking. Let’s be explorers like the Victorians and artists like the Renaissance masters. Let’s put aside our egos and change the world together.
That’s, at least, how I intend to use 2010.
Happy holidays everyone. Wasn’t 2009 interesting? I want you all to plan on being even greater in 2010. A legacy project that I have been working on for the last 2 years will come to life in 2010. It’s all about you, philanthropy and chiropractic. Birthing greatness begins by believing in the scope of your influence on a worldwide scale. Are you up to it? Details in the New Year.
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