Powerful Insights That Can Transform Your Life

As a chiropractor, I have the opportunity and the extreme privilege to work with some truly incredible people. I went into the chiropractic profession because I wanted to have a profound impact on people’s lives, but what I have found is the amazing people I work with everyday have influenced me more than I ever could have imagined. Everyday I learn and grow from the people in the practice. Everyday I gain new insights and I would love to share some of them with you.

1) Don’t take life too seriously or you will miss out on a ton of fun!

I walked into a room the other day to long-time patients of mine – two female best-friends in their eighties. I greeted them by asking them, “How are my beautiful young ladies doing today?” She responded with, “Oh my, you are so full of it!” I said, “What? I’m not full of it at all!” She said, “Well if you are not full of it, then you must be blind.” I concluded, “Yes I may be blind, but I only have eyes for you.” The women, myself, and the staff were all hysterically laughing at the exchange that went on, and I left that conversation with a great lesson – Don’t take life too seriously or you will miss out on a ton of fun!!

2) Don’t take anything for granted because you never know when it may disappear.

I have a patient who has been coming in now for a couple of months. When she first came in she was in excruciating pain and could hardly move. She came in with a bold request. She said, “I am going in for foot surgery in two weeks. I have to be off my feet for at least six weeks and I can’t imagine dealing with both. Can you put me back together again by then?” Of course I explained the process of healing and that it takes time but I would do my best to remove the interference to her nervous system so her body could heal to the best of its ability. She responded very well to chiropractic but faced a formidable challenge she could not have prepared for – the difficulty of being on crutches and not being able to walk for over six weeks. How could she prepare for that? She’s never had to mandatorily forgo walking at any point in her life so how could she prepare herself for the challenges she would face? Throughout this experience we have discussed on her visits, how much we take the simple things in life for granted – like walking. To be completely candid, many of you are lazy and do very little exercise in your life. 59% percent of you to be exact do no exercise at all. If you are one of the 25% of the people in the U.S. who do exercise 3 or more times per week, than what else in your life are you taking for granted? If you find it, it could transform the way you live your life. We have way too much to be thankful for in our lives – Don’t take anything for granted because you never know when it may disappear.

3) The quality of the people you surround yourself with make all the difference in the world.

The other day I was finishing up and adjusting one of the last patients of the day and she had this very inquisitive look on her face. She looked at me with these skeptical eyes and said, “I have to ask. What is your deal at this office? “ I asked, “What do you mean?” She clarified, “Well, I have been to other chiropractors and this just seems to be much different than anywhere else. You guys are always so happy, you focus on not just symptoms but on the overall function of the body, and it just seems almost too good to be true.” We both could not help but laugh. My reply was this: “This may seem too good to be true because we choose to live our lives much differently than the general population. The sad truth is that most people hate their jobs, are not happy in their relationships, have very low self-esteem, and basically live their lives for the weekend where they have a brief reprieve from their normal life. We, at the office, truly love our jobs, love our patients, surround ourselves with positive and supportive people, and we worked very hard to put together a team that was equally as passionate about life, and it makes all the difference.” It really is true, the quality of the people you surround yourself with make all the difference in the world.

Every one of my patients are a true gift in my life. There are some that have left as quickly as they have entered and there are others that will be patients and a part of my life forever. Every single one of them has brought some very powerful lessons and experiences to my life and for that I am eternally grateful. I took a very powerful personal transformation seminar called Landmark Forum. In it one of the distinctions we received was this: “Life is empty and meaningless.” It seems very depressive and dreary but when explored is very powerful. What the distinction means is that there is no inherent meaning in life or inherent meaning in the experiences we have in life. The only meaning is that which we give to those experiences. When we can begin to see life as empty and meaningless, we can begin to define and create the life we have always wanted to live. I am going to leave you with a very powerful quote I heard recently. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were going to live forever.” - Ghandi

Have you ever wondered where true happiness comes from?

Have you ever wondered how two people can grow up in similar surroundings with similar influences and one person becomes outrageously happy and successful whereas their equal counterpart lives a life of misery and insignificance? What causes one person to come from nothing or bounce back from heartache, despair, and hardship whereas another person in a similar situation becomes bruised, beat-down, and permanently scarred? Is it pure and random luck or is there a key component that an individual possesses that allows them to bounce back and create a life of happiness and significance? Before we answer that question, let’s discuss what I mean by happiness. I do not mean a superficial, short-lived sense of joy that comes from buying the latest HD television or Prada bag. The happiness I am talking about is a deep, burning joy for the life you have created and continue to create for yourself. It is a raging passion that drives everything you do and gives your life significance. So where does that kind of happiness come from? That happiness comes from creating a sense of purpose in your life. It comes from developing a sense of purpose that is congruent with the values and standards you have created for yourself and drives everything you do.

We are about to step into a new year, and for some of you, a new life. Now is the time to wipe the slate clean and begin to design the life you would love to live. Now is the time to develop a true sense of purpose that is congruent with your values yet extends beyond yourself to change the lives of those around you. Now is the time to evolve and increase the standards you have set for yourself. As Michelangelo has said: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Do not settle anymore for a life of mediocrity. Settle for nothing less than the best because you deserve it. Think you are not worth it? Think you are not strong enough? Think again! There is no difference between you and the greats like Mother Theresa and Ghandi. The only thing that sets them apart is they took a stand for what they believe in, developed an unwavering purpose, and made a unconquerable commitment to living out their life’s purpose. They saw what others did not see. They believed more than others believed. They had a desire to become more than other people were willing to become. Maybe you have no desire to have an influence like Mother Theresa or Ghandi but you do have a desire to be the best you possible. You must begin to see what others are unwilling to see and to do what others are unwilling to do. Michelangelo stated about his Statue of David: “I saw an angel in the block of marble and I just chiseled 'til I set him free.” Become your own Statue of David. See yourself as a block of marble just waiting to chip away the block until you have created a masterpiece within yourself. This can only begin by developing a deep sense of purpose and committing everyday to living out that purpose. You find your life’s purpose and devote your life to living out that purpose, you will not only create a life filled with joy, happiness, and fulfillment but you will also create a life of significance that will have in impact on the people around you and for people for generations to come.

What are you going to do with this gift called life?

People come into our lives to teach us the lessons and give us the insight that we are unable to gain any other way. In life there are no do-overs, rewinds, or pauses. There are no take-backs, fast-forwards, or skips. All there is and all there will be is the present. The past is gone and the future has yet to be reached so why place our focus on what has been or what will be when the past cannot be changed and the future is dependent on our presence in the present. Being present in the present allows us to open our hearts to experience the magnificence of what life has to offer. It allows us to engage fully in new relationships and strengthen old ones. It allows us to share ourselves with those around us and learn, what I believe to be ones of life’s greatest lessons: to be more connected to who we are as individuals and learn how to fully self-express ourselves with the people we care about the most. After all, what is life without sharing it with the ones who are most important to us? What is life without the heartache of losing someone you care about? What is life without taking a risk at fully devoting yourself to the fullest expression of yourself and opening yourself up to sharing that experience with someone else?

I think all too many people have lost sight of what relationships are all about. Relationships are not about two incomplete people coming together to complete each other. I disagree with Jerry Maguire that “you complete me.” I think it is a cancer to a relationship to complete someone. My idea of a relationship is two whole and complete people coming together to create a whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts experience where instead of two people completing each other, rather the two people synergize to create a relationship whose combination is seemingly mathematically unfeasible. This synergy creates an explosion of emotion and passion where you can lose yourself in the eyes of the other person. Where it is almost as if time stands still and the world around just seems to slow down. Where your heart is racing yet simultaneously there is a calmness that overcomes you. Where you open yourself up to a vulnerable state where you allow someone to see your true self while you are able to see theirs.

All of us have been given this gift called life. It is up to you to decide what you are going to do with it. Are you going to open yourself up and allow yourself to experience the greatness of what lies ahead of you or because of fear, are you going close yourself off to the experiences of what lie in front of you? Are you going hold back from fear of hurt and anguish or are you going to plow ahead with a full-knowing that greatness is lingering at your fingertips just waiting for you to grab hold? Are you going to live your life for the consequences of tomorrow or are you going to live in the present and make every second count? "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

Is this the missing link between you and success?

As I wrap up my weekend, I am about to begin another week doing what I love and sharing the ideas of health, wealth, and abundance with the lives I have the privilege of touching everyday in the office. I know how powerful of an impact these concepts and universal principles have had on my life, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share these concepts with the plethora of people I come into contact with everyday. Every day I have the opportunity to transforms peoples’ lives. Every day I get to unlock the infinite healing potential each person has to express greater levels of health, energy, and vitality through the chiropractic adjustment. Every day I have the opportunity to educate and inspire people to see the good in their life rather than the bad; the abundance rather than the lack; the love rather than the hate; the gratitude rather than the want. Every day I am continually working on becoming a better communicator, a better adjustor, and a better person so I have a better ability to touch and transform lives. The reality is if you are not able to transform your life, how can you ever expect yourself to transform others lives? You can’t! It all begins with you. If begins with the commitment to excellence in your life. It begins with being a role model for other people and setting an example other people can follow. It comes from a regular process of introspection. Analyzing your strengths and your weaknesses and determining where progress can be made.

I have read many person development and success books and some say to work on your strengths and others say to focus on your weaknesses. Some say to only focus on your strengths and hire people to take care of your weaknesses and others say to focus on your weaknesses because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I tend to resonate more with the concept of focusing on your strengths but I believe a very important component is being left out. What if you only focus on your strengths but you have a weakness that is critical to your position, job or career? For example, if I am a chiropractor and I am the world’s greatest adjustor but I am unable to communicate what I do effectively, am I ever going to reach my full potential in the amount of lives I am able to impact? I love the concept of focusing on your strengths and hiring people whose greatest strengths are your weaknesses, but make sure that the weaknesses are not a vital component to you doing your job to the greatest degree. I find it very easy to focus on my strengths and disregard my weakness but I am realizing more and more it is going to create a ceiling for my success. The only way I can raise that ceiling is by continuing to focus on my strengths but also work on my weaknesses that I am unable to pass on to anybody else. What have you been avoiding in your life that is crucial to your success? What may be the missing link that if corrected may be the piece that synergizes all of your strengths into an unstoppable force? Find that connection and live with an attitude of gratitude and be astounded by direction your life begins to take.

Do You Ever Find Yourself Stuck in a Rut?

As I sit here and stare at a blank computer screen, I begin to ask myself some very serious questions. Who am I and who do I want to be for the world? There are many times when I fall into an internal dialogue where I am so focused on myself and my own problems. I beat myself up about not meeting or exceeding certain arbitrary goals I have set for myself. I set my focus on areas in my life that I am not happy about and instead of doing something about it, I get “stuck” and perpetuate the type of negative thinking that manifests more of the same. How many of you find yourself “stuck” in a rut you just cannot seem to get out of? How many of you are going through life feeling like something is missing? This type of thinking happens to the best of us. The real key to personal power comes from getting really good at recognizing these behavior patterns as self-limiting and getting quicker and quicker at seeing it and shifting to an empowering mindset.

Many of us define our lives by what we do, what we have, or how much we have made? We feel good about ourselves to the extent that we have reached whatever arbitrary expectations we have set for ourselves. It is when we are able to transform our focus from this narrow mindset to one where we ask the questions of who am I and what contribution can I make on the world that our life makes a dramatic and powerful shift. When we come from a place of being purpose driven, we begin to step off of the emotional rollercoaster that comes from focusing on what we have or do not have. In conclusion, I think it is only fair that I answer the questions I proposed to you for myself:

1) Who am I? I am a role model. I am a loving partner, friend, and confidant. I am a beacon of light for everyone around me and a pillar of inspiration for people to see the amazing possibilities they have to express a life of abundance – physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and, spiritually; to dream bigger than they ever thought possible; to create more fulfillment in their lives; to be more loving fathers, mothers, children, and friends; to see the implicate beauty in everything around them; to live a fully present life where every moment counts.

2) What contribution can I make on the world? My contribution to the world is to be a source of inspiration for everyone around me; to transform the health and quality of life of first my community and then the world; to create a legacy focused on living a life of abundant health and self-expression that continues to be source of empowerment for millions of people for many generations to come.

As I continue to grow, reinvent myself, and discover who I am, I am always asking myself these questions. Who am I? What is my purpose in life? How can I be a better role model for society? Who do I want to be for the world? As many of you know by now, I love quotes so I am going to leave you with one of my favorite ones by Karen Ravn: “Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”

The Ultimate Key to Transforming Your Life!

How many of you are aware that over 2/3 of Americans are either overweight or obese? How many of you are also aware that we spend over $35 billion per year on the diet industry and in weight loss yet our collective weight as a country continues to climb? Words like “Adult-Onset Diabetes” are rapidly becoming extinct. A translation for “Adult-Onset Diabetes” would look like this: The continual choosing of poor lifestyle choices long enough to fry your insulin receptors and maintain an increased level of blood sugar in order to function in the pathological environment you have placed yourself in for an extended period of time. It was called “Adult-Onset Diabetes” because it took years and years for this to happen and was finally expressed as an adult, hence the name. “Adult-Onset Diabetes” is no longer being used and is being replaced solely with “Type 2 Diabetes” because we are destroying our bodies at such an alarming rate that kids are getting it and can no longer be called “Adult Onset.” Does anybody see something wrong with this picture?

When are we going to wake up and realize our health and quality of life is something we need to take responsibility for? What we need to understand is our quality of life is determined by the quality of questions we ask ourselves. If you want a successful marriage, are you going to study people who have been divorced multiple times and people who are unhappily married and find out what they do wrong, or are you going to study people who have been happily married for 30, 40 or 50 years? If you want to become rich, are you going to study people who are broke and find out what they do wrong and what mistakes they make, or are you going to study people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet? Now for the third and final question: If you want to be healthy, are you going to study sick people and find out what they do wrong or are you going to study healthy people and find out what they do right? I hope the answer is obvious. The problem with our health care system is not a lack of technology because we have more technology than any country in the world. The problem is not a lack of money because we are the richest country in world. The problem lies in that we are asking the wrong questions! Our entire health care system is based on determining how to improve our health by studying sick people. The only way to improve our health, transform our quality of life, and create all the success we have always dreamed about is by asking better questions. What we have been asking ourselves are things like what’s wrong with me and how do I treat it, but what we should be asking ourselves is where does health come from and what are all of the requirements I need to express abundant health, energy, and vitality. This simple yet powerful shift in your mindset will produce unfathomable life-changing results. I’d like to close out with a quote by Anthony Robbins:

“You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don't think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.”

From Ordinary to Extraordinary!

After a brief hiatus from my weekly blogging, I felt compelled today to sit down and write. Over the past month, I have had quite a bit happen in my life which I have allowed to derail me from my commitment to posting regular blogs. I would like to share one of these experiences with you.

A few weeks ago I left the office as usual and headed to the gym for my daily evening workout. After I finished a great yoga class and a solid work out, I left the gym feeling energized and rejuvenated. As I walked out and approached my car, I knew something was not right. I had one of those eerie sixth-sense feelings where I knew I was approaching a precarious situation. As I moved toward my car, I noticed the rear driver-side window was smashed in. As I peered through the empty hole in the side of my car, the thing I feared worst came to fruition: my computer which contained all of my life’s work including pictures, presentations, and writings as well as my wallet and iPod were all stolen. Everything was gone.

Why do I share this story with you? I share this story to illustrate that we cannot always control what happens to us or around us. We cannot prepare for all of life’s variables nor can we prevent all hardships or unfortunate events. Our life is not determined by what happens to us but rather what happens within us. I read a great quote by William F. Halsey which states, "There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet." Men and women are not born extraordinary but are rather created and developed by how ordinary men and women respond to extraordinary circumstances. Do you face a formidable challenge with a self-defeating attitude or do you muster up the fortitude within yourself to overcome great challenges? Do you allow your life to just happen to you or do you choose to be bigger and stronger than any challenge that comes between you and your destiny?

I had to make a choice how I was going to respond to the situation I was faced with. Was I going to play the victim or was I going to use it as a learning experience to propel my growth and development as a person? I chose the latter and I have since used that experience to inspire hundreds of people through my health talks in the office and the community. Always remember and carry with you this, “You cannot always control what happens to you. What you can always control is how you respond to the situations that are placed in front of you.” I hope you choose to be powerful in the face of adversity and take your life from ordinary to extraordinary.

Where can you have the greatest conversations in the world?

One the things I am most grateful for in my life is having had the opportunity to listen and learn from some of the most successful people in history. I have had conversations with greats such as Warren Buffet, Ayn Rand, Jim Collins, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Jr, Abraham Lincoln, and many others. I am sure by now you are thinking I have gone off the deep end. I could not possibly have had a conversation with Martin Luther King, right? Wrong! These conversations have not taken place face-to-face or even over the telephone. These conversations that have shaped my life have not been accomplished in the form of the spoken word but have done so in the form of the written word.

As with anything in life, you can choose to be an observing bystander or engage as a player. Many people read a book as if they are a spectator. They observe the stories, lessons, and advice and do not take much more away from the experience than temporary satisfaction. There are no lessons learned or eye opening experiences gained. If this pertains to you then you are missing out on so much more of what books have to offer. They give us the amazing opportunity to learn and converse with some of the most amazing people and ideas known to man. They give us a glimpse into the inner workings, thoughts, and insights of the brightest minds in the world. You have the opportunity to ask questions and get those questions answered in the form of the written word. Have you ever read the “I Have a Dream” speech by MLK? It is absolutely brilliant and nothing short of sensational. Through reading that speech, I was able to connect with a man who inspired a nation to demand a deeper and more profound respect for all of mankind regardless of the color of their skin, beliefs, or background.

Success leaves clues and many of those clues can be found in the written word of the greats that have changed the world. The key is to be engaged. Do not just be a spectator when you are reading. Do not read a book only for pure entertainment. Engage in the ideas and concepts of the author. Ask questions and look for answers. Apply the principles you learn to your own life. How about putting on a pot of tea, having a seat in your favorite chair, and become moved and inspired by a conversation you are privileged to have with Mahatma Ghandi, Mother Theresa, or Napoleon Hill?

Step Up To Your Greatness!

If you are truly being honest with yourself, are you really living up to your full potential? When you strip your life down to the raw fundamentals that make you, well…. you, are you giving everything the very best you have to offer? Are you just going through the motions or are you fully present with a laser beam focus on what is right in front of you? Do you live in the past and the future or are you living in the present moment? Is your time away from work spent relaxing and unfocused or are you so committed to yourself and your life that you study, read, and self-reflect even when you are not required to? Do you always go the extra step?

Yesterday, I entered myself in a work out competition put on by CrossFit Affliction. The workout consisted of rowing 500 meters, 25 24” box jumps, 400 meter run, 150 jump ropes, 25 135 lb dead lifts, 25 pull ups, 25 20 lb wall balls, 25 35lb kettle bell swings, and 25 burpees. The kicker was the competition was for time and it was in 100 degree South Florida heat. A powerful realization occurred within me about halfway through the work out. By this time, I could barely breathe and my body was yelling at me it just wanted to collapse. Every muscle in my body was screaming for me to stop and my lungs felt like they were going to explode. It was at this moment that I had to ask myself, “Who am I and what do I stand for?” To me, this crucial moment represented the rest of my life. Was I going to give up and retreat in the face of adversity or was I going to stare it straight in the face and conquer it? Was I going to limit myself to the boundaries of comfort and mediocrity or was I going to stand for something bigger and better? I persisted with a laser beam focus and an irrefutable and unconquerable commitment to not only complete the work out, but complete it with everything I had inside of me. I exploded through the finish with more power and more intensity than I began with. It was a huge victory for me. This represented an unwavering commitment to succeed and a certainty that whenever I feel like I am giving it my all, there is always a little more to give.

Everything and every moment counts. There are no ordinary moments. You have the opportunity to make every moment extraordinary. A world-class life is not developed during the 9-5. It is not formed by walking idly through life and going through the motions. It comes from making every moment count. Every interaction, every word, every choice, every thought, and every relationship counts. Are you a little better today than you were yesterday? Pick up that personal development book you have been meaning to read. Attend that seminar you have been meaning to go to. Get back to exercising the way you have been wanting to. Make a choice to create a better life for yourself and step up to your greatness!

The Most Powerful "State" of All!

I have already briefly spoke in a previous post about what I believe is one of the most powerful states in the human experience. It is a state that has the potential to bring more abundance and happiness into your life than possibly anything else. It has the power to transform challenging experiences into gifts. It has the power to break past barriers and create new realms of possibility. It has the power to drastically improve relationships to levels that have yet to be seen. It is the power of living in a state of gratitude.

All too often I find myself focusing on what I do not have or what I can be doing better rather than the abundance that always surrounds me. I call this living in a state of lack. You cannot possibly live a state of lack and a state of gratitude at the same time. It is impossible for a positive and negative thought or state to occupy the same place at the same time. As my mentor Dr. John DiMartini says, “If you focus on the flowers, you won’t get weeds.” Today, more than ever, I am working on transforming this vital component to my life. I am working on living in a state of gratitude rather than a state of lack. The reality is we can all always find something or someone bigger, stronger, and better. What that does is put us in a state that repels rather than attracts. How can we attract more of what we want into our life if we have not yet been able to appreciate what we already have? I’d like to leave you with a quote by one of my favorite authors Brian Tracy, “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”

The Key to Personal Freedom

I currently am sitting in a coffee shop on my day off in sunny South Florida reading books, looking up research, studying, and typing away on my computer. It is about 95 degrees out, not a cloud in the sky, and I am about 1 mile from the beach. Some of you may think I am absolutely crazy to not be at the beach or lying out in the sun but there is a very specific reason I am resisting the temptation to stop what I am doing, pack up my computer, and head over to the pristine waters of the Fort Lauderdale beach. I made a commitment to myself earlier in the week that Thursday afternoon would be spent reading, writing, and studying. So now I pose the million-dollar question. Does this make me a slave or does my discipline to stick with commitments really make me free? I live a very structured and disciplined life. I am very rigid on the fuel I put in my body in the field of nutrition, I exercise what some people would refer to as religiously, and I tend to live my life far from the societal norms. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard comments like “I could never do what you do because I want to be free to eat whatever I want” and “I hate to exercise because it takes up too much time and I want to be free with my extra time” and “I could never give up my television because I want to be free to watch the shows that really make me happy.” I could go on and on with the list of things that people believe defines themselves as being free. Most of society would claim they want to be free but are actually living in complete contradiction to what they say they want. Allow me to elaborate. I have a friend who loves to watch television. He watches hours of television everyday and records whatever he misses to watch at a later date. Even his schedule revolves around watching certain shows and is irritable if he does not get his daily dose of television. How would this person feel if the television was completely removed from his life? How long would it take for depression and boredom to set in? Does watching television for this person represent a freedom or an addiction? What many people regard as freedoms are actually addictions.

True freedom actually comes from living a life of discipline where every action is a volitional conscious choice. It is having the power to resist or move forward; to stay put or persist onward; to eliminate or include. Freedom comes from having and executing the power of choice and not from escaping the necessity of choice. Freedom does not come from sleeping in until noon on Saturday because you find it too difficult to wake up early. It does come from having the power to wake up early and making a conscious choice to sleep in late. This is a very important distinction! The distinction between being free or not does not come from living a “perfect” life as if there was such a thing. Freedom comes from having the power to make choices based on your values and not on your emotions. Here is an example from my own life. I enjoy a cup of iced coffee a few days a week. There are times when I have been drinking it for a while and I start to crave it. I plan my day around going to Starbucks because I feel like I need a cup of coffee to clear my head and wake me up. I am aware when I develop that need within me and I discipline myself to go without coffee until I feel like I regained control over my emotional attachment to it. Only then will I go back to drinking coffee again.

By developing more discipline in your life, you actually become more free to do the things you really want to do and not the things that you have developed a dependence on. There is nothing more empowering than gaining more control over your life through the power of discipline. By creating more discipline, you become the captain of your ship instead of heading in whatever direction the wind happens to be blowing that day. Think of an area in your life where if you really think about it, it is really an addiction or a vice. Maybe its coffee, alcohol, junk food, lack of exercise, being chronically late, procrastination, television, or it could be an infinite amount of other things that could be added to this list. You will find that your degree of freedom will be directly proportional to the degree of discipline that you execute and your life will never be the same because of it. It will open your life up to new realms of possibility where you break the chains of addiction and open up your life to one that you can truly stand behind and love.

The secret to success is there is no secret!

I am a huge fan of personal development, positive mental attitude, and visualizations. I believe they are an essential component to the success equation; however, they are not the whole success equation. The law of attraction and positive mental attitude have become very popular with the release of movies such as The Secret but The Secret left out a very important component to the success equation. That vital element is hard work. Positive mental attitude not backed by hard work is a dream. Dreams are great but dreams alone will not create success. They must be backed by hard work. Dreams must be backed by a plan and action steps to bring those dreams to fruition. Success and achievement does not come to those lucky few who were in the right place at the right time. The people who succeed are in so many places so many times that they are making themselves available to attract and seek out great opportunities. Samuel Goldwyn, a film producer, once said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Success does not come to the tired and weary. Success comes to those people who think big, dream big, and back up those dreams by an unwavering commitment and determination to work hard and do whatever it takes to see those dreams become a reality.

If you want to succeed in a big way, it is time to roll up your sleeves, put your shoes to the pavement, get out of your comfort zone, and do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true. Instead of just listening to personal development CDs, start teaching what you learn to other people. Read a book on networking and relationship building such as Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and put action steps into place to immediately take what you learn to your community. You cannot just read a book on nutrition and expect to lose weight. You cannot just think about running a marathon and expect to do well. If you want to lose weight and run a marathon, you must back up what you know and what you think about with hard work, determination, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. I truly believe that success can be yours, however, are you willing to do whatever it takes? I am going to leave you with a quote by Lee Iacocca who is best known for his legendary revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s. “Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.”

The Little Girl That Changed My Life

Do you believe that we, as human beings on this earth, were destined for a life of misery, pain, and suffering? Do you live your life with the belief that life was meant to be, for the most part, this arduous and unfulfilling process interrupted by brief periods of a sense of accomplishment and happiness? Do you live your life for next accomplishment or the next “big thing”? Do you dread Monday through Friday and live your life for the weekends where you attempt to have a brief escape from the reality that is your life? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are creating and manifesting the life you are living. I know it is a difficult thing to grasp, however, where you are in your life is a result of all of the choices you have made throughout your life. I am not referring to where you are in your life in the material sense. I am referring to where you are in your life from the metaphysical point of view. Allow me to explain.

I recently worked as a senior chiropractic intern at a chiropractic clinic in the No. 1 People’s Hospital of Zigong which is located in China. We had the incredible privilege of bringing chiropractic, and along with it a greater level of health, energy, and human expression to the wonderful people of China. There was one patient who left a lasting impression in my heart and changed my life forever. She is a beautiful little ten-year-old girl with a radiant smile that lights up a room. She has the kind of presence that brightens up the day of even the most callous individuals. When she arrived, the door opened and she walked in with a smile from ear to ear. She waved at everyone and gave us all a look that said, “I love my life and I love you just for being a part of it, even for a brief moment.” What I have not told you so far was the fact that when she was born, it was in a lifeless state due to a traumatic birth. Due to that traumatic birth, she suffered brain damage that caused her to walk with a severe and noticeable limp. This beautiful, vibrant, young girl had no choice as to whether or not she was going to have a smooth delivery or have it turn out as challenging as it was. She did have a choice, however, how she was going to confront life in spite of those challenges and she is confronting life in a very powerful way!

Have you seen people who have what seems like from a material sense the most incredible life yet they are completely unhappy and unfulfilled? On the other side of the coin, have you seen people who have incredible life altering afflictions or always seem to get the “short end of the stick” so to speak, yet are happy and fulfilled in their lives? There is no inherent meaning in any situation or in the life that you are living. The only meaning is the meaning in which you give it. Do you choose to live your life powerfully even in the face of adversity or do you choose to be a victim? Do you choose to look at every situation and encounter you have as part of a process to develop and grow you as a person or do you choose to have a “poor me” attitude? Do you choose to see yourself as a victor in all that you do in life or do you choose to have a self-defeating approach to your life? Do you choose to build yourself up into a powerful, compassionate, and confident human being or do you choose self-deprecation? Ultimately the choice is yours.

Greater Levels of Happiness and Fulfillment are Knocking on Your Door!

I watched an amazing moving last night called “The Peaceful Warrior.” It is about a young talented gymnast whose life is revolved around the next best thing. He believes when he attains a certain level of success, then he will be happy. He struggles with the fact that he seemingly has everything in the world going for him, yet he has no level of internal fulfillment. He is in athlete on pace to make it to the Olympics, a brilliant student, a favorite among the girls, and has a bright future ahead of him, yet for some reason he cannot sleep at night. It is not until he meets a gas station attendant who he so affectionately refers to as Socrates, that his life begins to change. There was one pivotal point in the movie when Socrates tells the main character, Dan, he wants to show him something very special. The next day they leave for a long arduous hike in the mountains. Finally, Dan, exhausted yet incredibly excited with anticipation for what the hike has in store for him at the end, asked Socrates when they were going to get “there.” Socrates said, “We are here.” He pointed to a rock and told Dan that the rock was what he wanted to show him. Dan now visibly agitated said, ”You brought me on a three hour hike in the mountains to show me an ordinary rock?!” Socrates asked, “You were so excited the whole way up here and now all of a sudden you are angry and frustrated.” Dan stated, “Because you brought me here to show me a rock!” Socrates responded, “I had no idea what we would find up here and I never really do know what I will find on my journey.” It was at that point Dan had an epiphany. He realized life is not about the destination. Life is about the journey. What brought him excitement and fulfillment on the hike was the process, not the end result. There are no ordinary moments. Every moment of every day is a gift. A life focused on outcomes and results is a life wrought with pain and suffering.

Life is all about the experiences we have and the growth that occurs with them. Robin Sharma says, “Our days are our life in miniature, and as we craft our days so we craft our life.” Every single day brings new experiences and new victories to celebrate. One of the most important things we can do for our lives is show gratitude and celebrate our victories. We have a tendency to compare ourselves to other people. When we accomplish something, we have a tendency to point out what we did wrong rather than what we did right. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself. Are you a little better, a little stronger, and a little more confident than you were yesterday? Have you discovered a little more about yourself after the experience than you did before it? If so, celebrate the victory.

Gratitude is the currency of happiness and fulfillment. Many of us are great at showing gratitude to others but rarely do we express gratitude for ourselves. We are the designers of our life. Everything we have accomplished and become is a reflection of who we are as individuals. We must show gratitude for the amazing things in our life as well as for the trials and tribulations. We must show gratitude for all that we experience, enjoy the journey, and know there are no ordinary moments. For this is the path for you to live the life of your dreams.

Adversity is One of Life's Greatest Gifts

**This is an excerpt taken from a book I am writing**

It is not very easy to make the transition from spectator to player. When you are a player you experience a much greater level of emotions. Sometimes these emotions are troubling and other times they are great. I remember very distinctly a situation that seemed terrible at the time, yet it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. It was my senior year of high school and I was the starting shortstop for the Varsity baseball team. We had won the District Championship the last 3 years in a row. We were ranked number 1 in the state and 23rd in the nation. I won the Gold Glove Award my sophomore year for my defensive ability. We were now going for our 4th District Championship in a row against our biggest rivals. It was the last inning in a tied game with 2 outs and men on first and second base. The pitch was thrown and a routine ground ball came right at me, It was a play I have made thousands of times before with little effort. I was ready for it and as the ball approached me I picked my glove up too soon and the ball went right between my legs. At that moment, time seemed to slow down. I dropped to my knees and prayed the center fielder would pick up the ball and throw it home in time to catch the runner before he scored but it was too late. The runner scored and we went on to lose the game. I was crushed. I had just let my entire team down and we lost the District Championship.

It was not until that moment that I realized how much my team meant to me and what the game of baseball meant to me. It represented so much more than a ball going between my legs. It taught me how to deal with hardship. I could have chosen to give up and view myself as a failure or I could have chosen to redeem myself. I chose the latter. Although we lost the district championship, we still made it to the regional play-offs. We beat the first team we played and made it to the Regional Championship. We had the chance for a rematch against the team we lost to in the District Championship. We were playing them at their field, on their home turf. The stands were completely packed. This game was one of the biggest rivalries in the state. People were standing around the fence, on roof tops, and anywhere they could in order to get a spot to view this game. It was an exciting game for me because I had a chance to redeem myself. I went out on the field with full confidence and I was on a mission. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had the pleasure of participating in. I played the best game of my life.

After the game we were shaking everyone’s hands on the other team and their coach pulled me aside. He had been coaching for about 25 years and has coached some of the most amazing baseball players in the state. Many have gone on to play college and professional baseball. He told me that I played the most amazing defensive game he has ever seen. Later on in the team huddle, my coach gave me the game ball. What made that moment so special to me was that in my four years and 150 games of playing baseball for him, it was the first game ball I had ever seen him give out. We lost the game that evening but it was a personal victory I will carry with me forever. I would have never had that experience if that ball did not go through my legs only a week earlier. I would have never learned how to bounce back from a hardship of that magnitude and in such a powerful way if I was only a spectator in the stands. As a player, you are dealing with much higher risks, however, the rewards increase exponentially. Michael Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

It ultimately comes down to a simple question. Do you want to let life just happen to you and drift whichever way the current takes you, or do you want to create the life of your dreams? For me the answer is obvious, however, you will need to make that decision for yourself. I hope for your sake you decide to be proactive and become a player in your life. I hope you step up with the courage to overcome adversity. I hope you begin to see challenges and hardships for the incredible lessons they have to offer you instead of sitting back and playing the victim. I hope you begin to realize some of the toughest situations, trials, and tribulations you will encounter are gifts that are wrapped in silver lining ready to offer you life lessons that of which have the power to take your life from ordinary to extraordinary.

Be Active! Be Healthy!

Do you ever have those lazy days when you just cannot motivate yourself to get out of bed? You have nothing important to do so you just decide to take a day where you stay in bed, watch movies, and read a good book. The only time you get out of bed is for the occasion snack and maybe to use the bathroom. We all have a day like that once in while. It might be after a really long and stressful week, and we feel that if we take an entire day to do absolutely nothing then we will finish the day energized and ready to conquer the world. Except that is never the case, is it? We never feel more energized after a day like that. We always feel more tired and lethargic. How is that possible? I thought rest was supposed to allow us to recharge our “batteries” and leave us with more energy?

The truth of the matter is movement is what stimulates life! Movement is analogous to a generator that is powered by a windmill. A generator cannot create its own power. Its power comes from the movement of the windmill. Similarly, our energy comes from movement, a large portion of which comes from movement of the spine. Every time we move a joint, we fired the nervous system. Exercise provides us with the avenue to fire up our nervous system and power up our brain. It is what we genetically require to create health and homeostasis in our body.

Exercise does not have to be synonymous with pain and torture. Keep it fun and interesting. Today, I had a great day snorkeling at the beach and walking on the sand. Not only was it an incredibly fun day, but I also got some great exercise in the process. If the gym is not your thing, find something you enjoy doing that adds more movement to your life. Take that dance class you always wanted to attend. Take your spouse for a midnight walk on the beach. Play a game of soccer with your kids. Take up yoga or pilates. Go rollerblading or for a bike ride. Do something to increase movement in your life. It will bring a new level of energy and vitality to your life you never experienced before. Be active! Be healthy!

Is your Circle of Influence building you up or tearing you down?

How many of you have heard the ancient question, ”If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be?” Most of you have heard this question I hope, unless you have been living under a rock your whole life! I love that question because it really makes you contemplate about what is important to you and where your values stand. I’d like to rephrase the question just a bit. “If you were stranded on a desert island, who are the six people you would want to take with you?” This is not an esoteric question where your answers may range anywhere from Albert Einstein to Jessica Alba. I want to know the six people in your life that you would want to take with you. If these people are not the six people you spend most of your time with, we have a problem. It has been said that we are a reflection of the six people we spend the most time with. Who are your six? Are these people energy vampires or are they empowers? Do they take more from your “vending machine” of energy than they contribute or do they give more than they take? Do they call you to greatness or do they let you settle for mediocre? The ultimate level of your success will largely be determined by your “Circle of Influence.”

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my “Circle of Influence.” I have to say I have been fortunate to be surrounded by the most amazing people on the face of this planet. This statement is no hyperbole. I truly believe with every fiber of my being that I have attracted and continue to attract some really amazing people into my life. If I am even a small reflection of the quality of people I have in my life, I am humbled to a level of sincere gratitude.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to fill more than eight ounces into an eight-ounce glass. As we finish up with Spring and head into Summer, I encourage you to re-evaluate the inventory of people in your life and schedule a Spring “cleaning.” Spend more time and show gratitude to the people that call you to a level of world-class. Send them a Thank You card or just give them a call and tell them what they mean to you and how much you appreciate them. You will be amazed by the results you will see in all areas of your life including your level of happiness, success, and personal fulfillment.

The key to succeeding in today’s economy!

There is no denying that we are in the midst of difficult economic times. Unemployment is the highest it has been in over a quarter of a century. People’s savings accounts have been wiped out and many other people are struggling to stay afloat. As an employer or employee in today’s economy, it is more important now than ever to create outrageous value in your place of business. We not only must separate ourselves from the many other businesses that are providing the same or similar products or services, but we must do so in a way that demonstrates such an attractive value for our product or service that people cannot help but make it a top priority to purchase it because of the amazing impact it has on their lives. One of the ways I believe we can do that is through a world-class level of customer service. In our office, part of our mission is to create the environment for an exceptional chiropractic experience. Part of that is keeping the energy and attention on our practice members at such a high level that it is unparalleled to anything else in their life. I had an experience lately that demonstrated just how important making people feel remarkably special really is. We had an amazing person join the practice a few weeks ago. She summed up in a couple of sentences everything that we try to create in our office. She said she loved coming to the office because everything about the office experience is so positive and uplifting. She even said she does not mind waiting for her adjustment because she enjoys just sitting in the reception area and watching everyone because the energy and passion is like nothing she has ever seen. Uniting this kind of experience with an outstanding product or service is a winning combination! We live in such a negative world with all of the news, current events, and workplace focused on death, destruction, lack, loss, and negativity. If you can create an exceptional customer experience while creating outrageous value for your product or service, when people ask you how you feel about the current recession the economy seems to be facing, your answer will be: “What recession?”

The magnificence that is YOU!

Do you ever wonder how it is possible for you to maintain, sustain, and improve your health and your life throughout a lifetime? Do you live in awe of the process of life and how nature creates a human being from just two cells? How can you possibly explain the process of two cells differentiating into nerve cells, heart cells, liver cells, muscle cells, and kidney cells and the coordination of all of these systems with each other? How can you explain the process of the nurturing environment a mother creates in her body for a developing fetus, which provides it all of the nutrients, and information for it to develop into a fully functioning human being? Now let’s fast-forward 80-100 years. How do you explain the process of death? At the point of death, what is the difference between the person the moment before they passed away and the moment after they passed away? The biochemistry is the same. The anatomy is the same. So what is the difference? The difference is the intelligence in the universe that is within all of us and controls how we function, heal, digest food, and adapt to our environment is no longer present. The essence of life is no longer flowing through our nervous system and communicating with the rest of our body and telling it how to function. The Major Premise in chiropractic is that there is a Universal Intelligence in all matter and continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. Within each of us, we have a piece of that intelligence, called Innate Intelligence, that provides us with an unlimited potential to experience an abundant existence filled with great health, energy, and an amazing quality of life. I feel so fortunate to be a chiropractor and work with the very intelligence that animates all living things and affords people the opportunity to live a limitless existence. Marvel in the magnificence that is you. Marvel in the magnificence that is life. It is my mission to tap into this unlimited potential in each and every one of you so that you may experience health, relationships, and life as a whole to your highest level possible. What is your mission? What inspires you? What gets you out of bed every morning and gets you excited to be alive? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear about it!!

When the going gets tough!

No matter how careful and calculated you are, it is impossible to avoid unforeseen challenges and inconvenient events in life. I also contend that life is not about playing it safe or focusing on avoiding challenges and setbacks. Let’s face it, no matter how hard we try to avoid them, they always seem to come up. Life is about playing all out and giving all you have to everything you do. Life is about how powerful you are in confronting, conquering, and adapting to those challenges. A mentor of mine told me “A master prefers what occurs.” In other words, when you become a master of your life, it does not matter what happens to you, because you see an opportunity in everything you face. Some of you may be facing financial challenges in the current state of economic uncertainty in the world. Some of you may be facing a health challenge that seems insurmountable. Some may be overwhelmed and underappreciated at your job or at home with your family. Every one of these situations has a hidden gift for you to grow into a more powerful and better version of yourself. You must be open to seeing it. When we open our minds and our hearts to experience the gifts that every situation has to offer, we start to look at our lives and the world much differently. Embrace change. Become bigger than the challenges you are facing. Live with passion and see the gifts that every situation brings to you!

What is a key ingredient to successful relationships?

So I just finished watching 7 Pounds and I just felt compelled to sit down and write. It was by far the most emotionally pressing movie I have ever seen. Will Smith was brilliant in the movie and the adversity he had to face was seemingly insurmountable for him. I am not going to ruin the movie for those who have not seen it by discussing the details but I am going to comment on what the movie brought out of me. The most powerful thing I got out of the movie is the power of presence and love. More often than I care to admit I get caught up in my own daily struggles and I do not take the time to tell the people who mean the most to me how much I love them. I do not focus on what and who I am so incredibly grateful for in my life. Love is one of those things that is so difficult to describe. A definition can be explained through logic and reason, however, the true essence of love can only be experienced through personal experience. For example, you can explain and describe the action of waves crashing on a deserted moonlit beach, but you never fully appreciate it until you experience it first hand. If I had to explain love, I would describe it as this: Love is the moment, whether for a period in time or a lifetime, where your core values synergize into a “whole is greater than the sum of the parts” experience which results in a paradox of a peaceful calm and a rush of excitement and energy at the same time. At this moment you have a heightened awareness of your senses and there is a deep burning appreciation and gratitude for the beauty of life. This moment can only be achieved through a presence that is so present that it is as if time stops. You are so focused on the moment and all of the experiences it has to offer, it is as if time does not exist. You feel it. The people around you feel it. Your children and your spouse feel it. What would your life look like if you brought more love and presence into everything you do? How would your relationship with your son or daughter or wife or husband look? In this day and age with so many distractions, people are yearning for your presence. Tell an important person in your life today how much you love them. Do it from a place of sincerity and present time consciousness that you have never done before and feel the words as you say them. Do this and watch how your life and the lives around you transform.

The Greatest Health Secret Revealed!

I challenge you to find anything more amazing and more complex than the human body. The human body is made up of over 70 trillion cells. The brain processes millions and millions of bits of information EVERY second. The heart beats over 2 billion times throughout a human being’s lifetime. Every 4 months your body has an entirely new river of red blood cells nourishing the body. The body breaks down the food you eat to deliver nutrients to every cell in the body. It develops immunities to harmful foreign invaders in order to protect itself from future attacks. The human body is absolutely incredible! All of this and every other function in the body is controlled and coordinated by the nerve system. The nerve system is the communication highway that makes it possible for every cell to communicate with one another. The intelligence of the body knew how important the nerve system is for a person to be healthy that it encased the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord, completely by bone. The skull protects the brain, and the spine, which is made up of 24 moveable bones, protects the spinal cord. What do you think would happen if one of the bones moved out of alignment, disrupted the communication in the body, and interfered with the nerve system? How would your heart function if one the spinal bones misaligned and caused interference with the nerve going to your heart? How would your immune system function? Since health comes from all of your cells communicating with each other and functioning properly all of the time, a disruption to the communication would lead to a lack of health. A very significant interruption to this valuable communication occurs when one of the bones in your spine misaligns and puts pressure on the nerve system. This is called a Vertebral Subluxation and can lead to many of the health problems people suffer from every day. Chiropractic is focused on restoring and maintaining proper spinal motion, alignment, and posture in order to restore and maintain healthy spinal tissues and healthy nerve flow between the body, the brain, and every cell in the body. Many of you go to the dentist and get your teeth checked for cavities on a regular basis. When was the last time you had your spine and nerve system checked by a chiropractor for a Vertebral Subluxation?

What is life all about...perfection or excellence?

As I was researching both words, they are listed in each other’s lists as synonyms. Although the words are apparently similar, there are some key distinctions. When I looked at both words, I was immediately drawn to the word “perfection.” There is something about the word that draws me. When I think of perfection, I think of performing, delivering, achieving, experiencing, or being something to a degree that transcends what has ever been accomplished before. I think about having the perfect practice, delivering the perfect speech, having the perfect relationship, and obtaining perfect health. However, I realize just because it meets my current psychology of achievement or success, it does not mean it is perfect. I do not think perfection is even a solid benchmark because there is nowhere to go from there. If I was somehow able to obtain perfection, I am left with the hope that the best I will ever accomplish again will only be equal but never greater to the perfection I was able to reach. I also came to the conclusion after talking with my good friend Aryn, I view that human beings are already perfect. I believe not viewing human beings as perfect, when it comes to the human experience, is a contradiction in my vitalistic philosophy. Since people are already perfect and have the potential within themselves to express innate intelligence to the fullest degree, my job is to help them to realize it and release it in order for them to live extraordinary lives. Perfection is not the goal. It is the process of pursuing the expression of that perfection and not the achievement of perfection itself. That is why my purpose is the continual pursuance of personal mastery while creating a profound impact on humanity in the process. Coming up with my purpose is a process that took about 2 years to refine and mold and it may always be evolving as I grow and evolve. Originally my purpose was to be the best and to achieve personal mastery but realized that the achievement of mastery or perfection was not the goal. It was wrought with disappointment because I would only be happy when I got “there,” wherever “there” even is. For me it is the pursuance of the perfect expression within myself and the pursuance of personal mastery that makes life worth living. For me, it looks like living a life of excellence. Living a life of excellence is about always growing and developing. It is not about never making a mistake but living consciously and learning from the mistakes that is most important. It is about living with passion, love, excitement, determination, commitment, integrity, focus, discipline, and compassion. It is about living my life congruent with my core values. It is about being present and being more accepting and loving of myself. It is about working toward my goals but celebrating my victories, both emotional and physical, along the way. I realize when I come to the end of my road and people look back on my life, I do not want them saying I lived a life of perfection. I want to be known for living a life of significance and a life of excellence.

What is it to express abundant health?

Health is the pursuit of achieving your true potential in all areas of your life. It is about setting a new bar for which you live your life. It is about opening up opportunities you may have never known were there. It is about creating better relationships with your kids and your spouse. It is about raising your children drug free and allowing them to be a perfect expression of themselves. Most of what we consider sickness and pathology is actually the body working exactly the way it is supposed to. If you decide to move up to Denver where the oxygen is less, your body makes more blood vessels and increases your blood pressure. Would you say this increase in blood pressure is a healthy response? Of course it is! Your body is responding perfectly to a change in the environment. If you have an unhealthy diet, do not exercise, and are not under regular chiropractic care, and in order for you to cope with a stressful environment, your body increases its blood pressure. Is this a healthy response? Of course! Your body is a perfect expression of health. It will respond in a perfect way even under imperfect circumstances. This is not pathology. It is physiology.
We need to understand that we have everything we need within ourselves to be great. Tap into the infinite wisdom of your body and create your reality. Create a reality where everyday is a great day. Take control of your life and understand that you have the ability to have everything you want in life. Do not settle for the status quo. Do not settle for just a “good” level of health. Do not settle until you have achieved greatness because you deserve it. Focus on your desires not your fears. Focusing on your desires is when your dreams become reality. Think big! Dream big! And know you CAN have it all because you are worth it!