The Difference Between Success and Failure - 6/3/2008
What makes the difference between success and failure? Why do some chiropractors have energy and drive, while others are listless and stuck in a lack mentality?
Why do some of us lead lives of satisfaction and accomplishment, while others continually face frustration and despair?
The answer lies in a magic and mysterious quality called MOTIVATION. Yes, lack of motivation is one of the two major problems facing the chiropractic profession. First, the chiropractor needs to know how to motivate others (their own staff, and of course, their patients), and secondly, and even more importantly, they need to learn how to motivate themselves. You will find that all achievers are self-motivated -- a little bit or a lot.
“Motivation is something that each of us must develop for ourselves. It does not come from outside in, it develops from the inside out, through the power of belief.”
What is motivation? Where does it come from? How is it developed and why do only a select few seem to have it? All good questions, I think you’d agree.
Motivation is the invisible ingredient that propels one to action. A well-motivated person has drive, energy, direction and purpose. Successful people from all walks of life are always those who are motivated.
Motivation is the difference between profit and loss, growth or stagnation, success or failure, happiness or unhappiness. Motivation is the #1 problem of the 80% I always speak about…the 80% who struggle for everything they want.
In the past I have tried every imaginable device of attempting to motivate those afflicted with “sub-acute mediocrity,” or a lack of motivation. I have tried incentive plans, bonuses, pep talks, pleasantries, gifts, recognition and even free trips to Brooklyn, but nothing has worked.
Yes, the secret of motivation has been eluding every entrepreneur, every employer and every chiropractor for years and years. We are still looking for new ideas for motivation because we have not yet found one that is satisfactory to stimulate the key for one very important reason.
Why? Because we have been attempting to motivate people and ourselves by blindly following a basic assumption that, in my opinion, is NOT TRUE. We think we must motivate by appealing to wants…wants for money, wants for vacation, wants for new patients, wants for larger volume, wants for more recognition, appreciation or approval…and a whole host of wants for material benefits.
Yet, we teach proverbs like, “What you believe, you can achieve.” The Bible even says, “Thou shalt not want.” And so, motivation as a great power is not wanting…IT IS BELIEVING—Belief in the work you are doing, belief in our great chiropractic principle, and belief in yourselves as first-rate primary care healers.
Motivation is something that each of us must develop for ourselves. It does not come from outside in, it develops from the inside out, through the power of belief. Belief is conviction!
The 5 Characteristics of Belief
- Belief Is Knowledge – The more you know about something, the more interested you become. The more interested you become, the more you want to learn. Average people just simply quit learning, studying and acquiring new knowledge. They complain about not having time and really think they can grow by themselves.
You must constantly acquire new knowledge if you are to grow. That’s what seminars, CD’s, teleclasses and professional coaching sessions are all about. And, I promise you that with increased awareness and knowledge, the second characteristic of belief will naturally follow.
- Belief Is Service – Belief is the realization and conviction that you are using your life for a worthwhile purpose; that your efforts are productive and useful. Albert Schweitzer once said, “The only ones in life that will be truly happy are those who have learned to serve.”
- Belief Is Truth – The activity or purpose in which you believe must be based on honesty, trust and truth. It is impossible for you to believe in anything that your conscience will not accept. Belief is not built on compromise of any sort. It is only built with ethics and honesty. Said another way, you must have an honest relationship with yourself and your work in order to believe in them.
“It’s not what you say that matters, it’s what your patients see or sense that makes all the difference in the world.”
- Belief Is Faith & Confidence - You must have faith that your service will fulfill its claims and purposes. You must have confidence that your patients need you and your unique service.
You cannot have doubt or fear or uncertainty…for patients will sense it and not follow your recommendations. They will only follow your instructions if they sense the faith, confidence and belief that you have in your own products, services and ideas (FCB in your PSI).
Chiropractic is important and that message is revealed by your belief system. It’s not what you say that matters, it’s what your patients see or sense that makes all the difference in the world.
- Belief Is An Ability - Belief is an ability that can be learned just like any other skill or habit. You can learn to believe exactly the same way as you learned to read or drive or use a computer.
You were not born with your current beliefs…you learned them. They then became your habits of thinking. And, you can learn new beliefs, which is the key to motivation. It is definitely within your power to believe and therefore to become motivated!
Remember that your beliefs become your realities! What you believe to be true becomes true for you even if your belief is not in your best interest. For example, if you believe you are not good at the acquisition of new patients, your new patient volume remains low. If you believe that you are accident prone, the cast on your leg proves you right. If you believe you are a poor speller, the “D” on your report card is the result.
So, work diligently on changing your beliefs to ones that propel you only toward what you do want, not what you don’t want. Model and mimic others who have belief systems that you admire. Do this and I promise you that your practice and your life will begin to change for the better.
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