Dear Doctor,
So, the New Year is under way, and it’s time for a quick reality check — how are you doing? Are you acting consistently with your resolutions and decisions? Tony Robbins taught me to “kill the monster while it’s small” — notice your indiscretions now, catch yourself before the undesirable patterns kick back in.
If you have chosen a change, in diet, for example, or in exercise, or in investing more time and energy in promoting yourself and your practice, it’s possible you started off enthusiastically, but your pump may already be fading — and if it is, then it’s imperative that you get back in line with your own best interest, and I mean right now.
Whenever you begin a new pattern of behavior, it’s normal for it to take a while for that behavior to become conditioned — in other words, for it to become easily accessible as one of your typical options. That’s why it’s so important to rehearse — it gives your mind
Some of the new choices you’ve made for this year may be too young to be conditioned, so your tendency will be to overlook them — this is the period of “conscious competence” that Maslow talks about, where you are capable of executing a behavior, but only when your conscious mind is focused on it. Developing “unconscious competence,” where you can perform automatically and spontaneously, comes only after enough practice that the pattern becomes part of your established armamentarium — part of your identity.
So, don’t be impatient with yourself if you haven’t just jumped into these new behaviors. Keep redirecting your attention back toward the purpose behind the changes — if your goal is for a bigger practice, or more people to help, or a slimmer waistline, or a better relationship, remember why those things are so important to you, to gain leverage and cause yourself to want to adopt the new behavior pattern. Then, with your purpose firmly in mind, take one small step toward your objective — you must
A skillful application of pleasure and pain will also help you get it back in gear. Consider, what will you gain from making this behavior part of you? What will it cost you if you don’t? Keep those sensations available to you, so you can guide yourself back to the straight and narrow as needed.
Then, as the new behavior starts to condition, affirm at every opportunity that it is now becoming part of who you are. This method not only helps you develop your talents and abilities, it enhances self esteem, improves self discipline, and increases congruency.
Take responsibility for shaping yourself into the best you possible — and if you ever fall off the wagon, recognize it early and shift yourself back toward the right direction. This year could be your best yet — if you decide to raise your standards and follow through.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle
PS Last chance to register for the Chicago MVP, entitled “Raising The Bar Of Chiropractic Practice.” Learn how raising your standards and working smarter can build your practice! This seminar covers all the bases, so join us in Chicago 1/
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