Certainty

In a recent seminar that I attended many presenters talked about having certainty in life. Certainty in life should happen in a variety of ways – personally and professionally.  Levels of certainty arise only after preparation by the individual has been done.  Lets take the example of the student and a test.  In order to pass or as I like to say “smoke” the test the student must study all of the material that is going to be on the test.  His preparation will lead to him being more certain in choosing correct answers.

Knowing that you know something is always a nice thing.  I have noticed that people with certainty in their life tend to walk a little more upright, have more confidence, and are more successful in any endeavor they may encounter.

Here is one certainty I have in my life…

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the human body is a self-regulating, self-maintaining organism and true health comes from within.

Vessels

When most people think of the word “vessel” they have a tendency to think of modes of transportation – cars, planes, and boats.  By definition that is correct.  Its a vehicle that transports an individual (or groups of individuals) from point A to point B.  Lets dive into this a little deeper…

Could in fact a career or even a hobby be a vessel?  Could our relationships with others also be considered a vessel?   A means that gets you from one point in your life to the next?  Id like to think so.

You see anything and everything around you are vessels.  They help you get to where you want to go.  Like a well oiled machine, however, they can only get you as far as you as well as they are prepared.  I could drive to New York City from San Francisco in a run down not so well put together jalopy or I could get there in a well refined supercar.  Get it?

One of my professors described it best by asking us one time in class “Why do you do what you do?”  All sorts of answers popped up.  After taking a few answers my professor spoke up and said, “To sustain the lifestyle in which you hope to live.”  Thats true!  We do what we do to sustain a lifestyle which we want to live.  Our career, our lifes work, is a vessel in which all these things can become realities.

In your preparation to become whatever it is that you are in the world were you diligent in the classroom?  Were you being the best you could be?  Were you creating for yourself a vessel, a supercar, that would give you the best results possible?  Or were you working on creating a jalopy?

Drive

I often wonder what it is that makes one person more driven than another.  Is it pure stubbornness?

Id like to think that a persons drive stems from some unspoken internal fire that simply will not let them rest until they have completed what it is they set out to do.  Ocassionally it comes off as stuborn…just not knowing when to quit.  However, there is something amazing about watching an individual just ducking their head and moving forward as stern as they can despite hardship.

I knew a guy that was just as stubborn as could be…lets call him John.  Great guy!  He wanted to be a professional golfer.  John was was 6’0″ 175 lbs and as physically fit as could be.  The problem was that he was as uncoordinated as could be.  He would practice day in and day out but to his dismay could just not make the cut – high school,college and so on.  I asked him why he was so driven to be a pro golfer and explained quite simply – “because my dad couldn’t be…”

His dad was an extremely good golfer who just prior to getting his pro card was in a paralyzing car accident which ultimately destroyed his ability to ever play golf again.  John, took it upon himself, to live out his father’s dream.

Great story right?  I’d say so.  I asked John a follow up question of what he really wanted to do in life.  After a few minutes of contemplating he said, “I really want to be a scientist. I want to find the cure to some odd disease and make the world a better place.”

The point I am trying to make here is that drive/dedication is a beautiful thing.  It was such a beautiful story to hear John try to live out his father’s dreams by becoming a professional golfer.  The only thing is…it wasnt John’s dream.  And if I had to conclude…it was the reason why he never excelled the way he would have liked to.

Note to self.  Do you.  Be driven by your dreams.

Definition of Success

In one of my classes – chiropractic philosophy – we discussed the definition of success.

My definition of success is the ability to complete a goal.  For example, a month ago a friend and I hosted our first patient appreciation night.  We had approximately 50 people showed up.  1 new person expressed interest in receiving chiropractic care.  Was this event a success?  YES!  Why?  Because the event happened!  I was never attached to how many people showed up.  I was attached, however, to the event actually happening.

Dr. John DeMartini in an interview on the Larry King Show talked about the 7 primary fears that immobilize people.

1. Fear of breaking the moral and ethics of some spiritual authority.
2. Fear of not being smart enough.
3. Fear of failure.
4. Fear of not making/losing any money.
5. Fear of losing loved ones’ respect.
6. Fear of being rejected.
7. Fear of illness or death.

When I was younger I had a fear of being successful.  I felt that success would make me look arrogant.  Crazy I know.  Success (by my definition) is simply the ability to complete goals.  It has no bearing on your outward appearance other than the fact that people will start to think, “Wow! This guy can get things done.”  Do not let your fears interfere with your definition of success.

I forgot to ask…What is your definition of success?

Investing In Tomorrow

During my campaign for student council elections I handed out seed packets to all of the students.  The concept was simple – investing in tomorrow by planting seeds today.  If we intend to see any great and vast future we need to do things today that are congruent with that future.

Here is  a part of my speech…

What is a seed?  A seed is a new beginning, a potential that may sprout a fresh fruit, vegetable or flower.  Isnt it amazing how just a single seed can become a plant, feed a nation and outlive the people that planted it.

Everything great that has ever existed in the history of the world has started from the seed of a single idea.  Every idea starts with a seed of inspiration in a person’s mind.  Ultimately they were investing in tomorrow by imagining the possibilities of what could be today.  The process from conception to reality may seem like a large daunting task but as we all know…Rome wasn’t built in a day.

One of the seeds I have planted has been in a project called Mission Trip America or MTA.  For those of you who do not know what MTA is…its an organization that is working with the school on a pilot program to serve underprivileged populations with complimentary chiropractic care here in America.  At its conception Brian (the other founder) and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  We were stumbling into uncharted territory.  Month after month, meeting after meeting, we continually chiseled away at what seemed to be gigantic task.  We could never really see the progress we were actually making…similar to the seeds that are planted in a garden.

A friend came up to me this morning and told me he planted the seeds I gave him and is now starting to see a little sprouting.  Truthfully they are probably going to look the same to the naked eye for the next few weeks but one day he’s going to walk outside and see a blossomed flower.

No idea, no matter how inspired, jumps from inspiration to manifestation in one giant leap.  To bring any good idea to life it takes lots of attention and lots of hard work.

The giant sequoia doesn’t just shoot up out of nowhere.  It takes hundreds of years of development, but the result is the most enormous living organism on the planet.

MTA didn’t just happen.  We spent months brainstorming, meeting and chatting.  Now we’ve launched a program that has the potential to change the entire way in which chiropractic colleges around the world interact with their surrounding areas.

If we really care about something…it doesn’t matter how much work it takes to get it launched…you’ll see it through to the end.

My Story

A little over 2 years ago I started chiropractic school at Life Chiropractic College West.  Unlike most of my classmates I came from no chiropractic background.  My first adjustment was in our student clinic 1st week of school.  In fact, I was a pre-med student in undergrad with the aspirations to serve others in that model of healthcare.

How did I get into it?  I lost a bet.  In my senior year in undergrad a friend and I made a bet.  Both of us would apply to medical school and if we dont get in 1st round we would apply to chiropractic school.  Naive as I was at that time I said yes.  I took the MCAT and put all of the school applications together and right before I started to fill out the 1st one I had a brief thought flash that made me realize it wasnt for me. I didnt believe that taking a pill for a symptom was the answer.  Dont get me wrong, medicine has its place.  Knowing what I know now I realize its just not for me.

I ended up defaulting on the bet and started to do some research on this thing called chiropractic.  I looked at everything – both good and bad.  I read stuff online, I spoke with doctors, I did everything I could to get a clear understanding of what it was I was getting myself into.  One thing I appreciated was this basic philosophy that the body was a self healing, self-regulating organism.  Like I said before, I’d never been a big pill popper.  If I was sick…I drank lots of fluid and rested.  I was also surprised to see the number of hours chiropractic students put into their education.  In many areas it surpassed that of medical school.  After all my research was said and done I applied to Life West and about 3 months later I started school.

If you had asked me 3+ years ago about what I wanted to do in life I would have told you I wanted to be a doctor and nothing more.  Now I can tell you that I want to be a doctor that specializes in a natural form of healthcare that deals with removing nerve interference in the body so that our bodiees can express optimal health – a chiropractor.  I encourage all of you who read this to expose yourself to anything and everything.  See what works with you.