The Performance Doctor: The Big Lies We Are Told

If you didn’t know, I was an adjunct professor at Logan University for 5 years. That’s where my passion for education exploded

It was during this time that I started taking my personal vacations during the same time as the trimester breaks. Except, instead of two weeks, I’d only take a full week off.

This served two fold.

1. Family time. Usually visiting my brothers, parents, in-laws or spending some quality time at home with my wife.

2. Business planning time. Strategizing for the next quarter, assessing task completion and the more obvious… growing the practice.

A lot of colleagues and practice owners back then frowned at the idea of taking weeks off so early in my career. Many still do to this day.

I even got the good ol’ “I didn’t take a single vacation for 5, 8, 10 years” speech multiple times from seasoned docs.

Was this something to be proud of?

Most of the time this came from practice owners who were on their second or third marriage, were single, or had re-bachelorized. (Yes, I just made up that word).

Nothing against their life choices, but something didn’t sit quite right with me.

When I started private practice, I was told many things including:

• You won’t have time for vacations for at least 10 years.

• You need to be available as often as possible

• Work weekends

• Work early mornings

• Work late evenings

• Work all day

• Always say yes

• Don’t turn anyone away.

• Take insurance if you want to make good money

• Take PI cases for good income

But I was never told to:

• Charge your worth as a doctor

• Leverage your value as a doctor

• Budget for vacation time in practice

• Manage family time better than business time

• Plan your exit strategy

Everyone is so enthralled with the idea of building and making money, that many forget to live their life.

Don’t get me wrong. YOU HAVE TO MAKE MONEY!

Otherwise there’s no life to live.

For me, my passion is my family and my end goal is to spend as much quality time with them as possible.

Over the last 7 years I’ve learned so much through trial and error, and by spending money in business courses that were too expensive for the coaching they provided (Part 1 / Part 2) back then.

To think that one told me to lower my prices to keep them “competitive”… I’m even more expensive now.

Another told me I needed to charge more because “people will pay if you sell them right.”

The only thing both of these coaches had right was that 90% of entrepreneurs don’t own a business. The business owns them.

Think about it… .

You take a vacation, and you lose revenue.

You have an accident and you are losing revenue and profit.

No wonder why so many chiropractors don’t take a vacation the first 10 years in practice.

But should you?

YES!

No one is safe from burn out.

Maybe you don’t want to take a week off every quarter. That’s fine.

But do yourself a favor…

Take the vacation.

Reset. Recharge. Come back with a full heart, and a clear mind.

Don’t let your peers dictate how you should live your life.

Taking a vacation is not simply just taking time off.

It’s taking time to reset, recover and recharge.

It’s taking time to take care of yourself physically and mentally.

Through SmartCARE I’ve been able to meet a lot of doctors both new and seasoned.

One thing they all agreed on…

Burn out is real.

TAKE THE VACATION

Until next time,

In health and strength,

1. Join over 260 Certified Dry Needling Practitioners and enroll in an upcoming Dry Needling Course

2. Enroll in our upcoming Extremity Rehabilitation Masterclass. Master diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation protocols for Upper and Lower Extremity injuries and dysfunctions.