As you know, I love to study success. Some of my favorite subjects of success are the “surprise” success stories – the “who would have thought it” success stories. Let me give you two right now:
Jim Henson – He created “The Muppets.” Now that may not be a surprise to you, but it was to me. He had to dream of being “a puppeteer” for a living! Who does that? Who wants to tell family and friends when you are in college that you are studying to work with a frog and pig puppets? Not exactly an admired career. It would not make the list of top ten occupations of world-wide respect and admiration. In fact, I am sure his parents said, “Jim, come on – you have to grow up sometime.” I try to imagine proposing to my “hope-to-be” wife and convincing her that marrying me is a slam dunk – after all I plan on playing with puppets my whole life. That is proposing on thin ice! No, Jim Henson made being a puppeteer respectable – being a puppeteer did not make him respectable. Not a title one seeks. In fact, we would try to hide it. And yet, with puppets, Henson changed education as we know it through a little program called Sesame Street. He got on TV! Kids were able to learn the alphabet and how to read before they ever got to school. He made education entertaining – even the adults loved it. He was a world changer by living his purpose – rather than seeking a position that would give him power or respect.
Ron Clark – Look at what he has been able to accomplish as a result of being a 5th Grade teacher in a very poor school. There was no prestige there. And yet, he has become a star on programs, like Oprah, and a best-selling author. He founded his own school – and also changed our thinking toward how school can be taught – teaching life skills FIRST and that makes them good students. If you wanted to make all these things happen in your life to be a star and best-selling author – you probably wouldn’t have chosen teaching 5th grade in a ghetto as the way to make it happen. You would have probably chosen a doctorate and teaching at a prestigious university. We think the position and title gives the power rather than bringing the power to whatever position we may have.
How about you? Were you planning to rely on the prestige of being a doctor of chiropractic to bring you success – rather than working to bring more power and respect to chiropractic? Halo off – you probably at least thought about it! Certainly, many chiropractors do – that is why they are against any marketing efforts to grow. They want to open their doors with a line of new patients, simply because they are a doctor. It is so easy to rely on the entitlement of something else to give YOU strength – power – success. Rather than working to give strength and power to someone or something else.
Integrity Doctors wants to bring prestige and greatness to the profession – not rely on the profession to bring prestige and greatness to us!
Is there prestige and power in a title like “doctor”? Of course! Your name can grant you status – like the Kennedy’s or the Rockefeller’s. Imagine what it would be like to walk into a bank and say, “Hi, my name is Keith Rockefeller. Perhaps you know my dad, David? I was wondering if I could get a loan.” How hard would that be? That would be a blast! Your name gives you an automatic grant of power. In fact, that is what a co-signer is to a loan. It is banking off the name and success of someone else. Note to self: Nothing wrong with it! We recommend our QuickStart doctors do it!! But those Kennedy family members can still choose to work hard and achieve their own success based on their own merit and skill. They don’t have to rely on the boost of the name alone, but it would be easy to do that!
Here is the essential to learn: The real success would be in combining the boost from the name to go with the hard work and effort, as if the name did not exist. Those two things together would be awesome!
So, it is easy for many to rely on getting power and prestige from a degree or title alone. Planning on success from being able to say, “I am a doctor.” That degree is a tremendous accomplishment and it does provide a title that gives you an automatic grant of respect and position – as it should! It would be easy to rely on that title alone to grant you that position of success. But that alone will never take you to business success even if it takes you to respect. Practice success comes to those who work as if there is no special grant. No birthright to success due to a name. They work as if the title isn’t there! The GREAT thing is – the title IS there and it does work – so the combination of your title and your efforts results in: Practice Success! Decide to bring prestige and power to chiropractic and it will bring it to you – it is essential!