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.