What does it mean to perform at one's highest levels? No matter your domain, there are a few fundamentals essential to being the best that you can be. For chiropractors and students of chiropractic, the message is the same as it is in our work with elite athletes, Olympians, and business people. To reach peak performance, certain mental and physical qualities or conditions must be cultivated and put into practice. The following is a list of some of the factors necessary for peak performance, based on interviews with Olympic medalists, world champion athletes, and the world's leading business people. Assess your own rating and try to determine if there are areas where you could improve. Are you, like these leaders in business and sport.
An ideal performance state does not just happen. Top level athletes, business people, and chiropractors have identified their own ideal performance and have learned, for the most part intentionally, to create and maintain this state so that their talents and physical skills thrive. Achieving one's own ideal internal psychological climate is not a simple task. The mental skills needed to trigger and sustain an ideal performance state are learned through knowledge and practice, just as the physical skills of the chiropractic adjustment are learned.
These qualities that contribute to peak performance share many common elements with "present time consciousness." However, it is not enough to talk about being "present time conscious." Work is required.
Work to Be Done
When it comes to peak performance, many people believe that "when you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not, you're not." Peak performance is seen as something elusive: more a consequence of fate rather than something under one's own personal control. In reality, however, peak performance is not mysterious, it is a product of the body and mind, both of which can be controlled.
Finding mentors and becoming inspired are important elements to a successful practice and life. Many people feel that if we attend enough seminars and hear the gurus of successful chiropractic speak, we will gain the requisite skills to reach our peak levels of performance. Although this will help, it alone is not enough. The work must be done, the skills learned, and finally implemented. This is why with the right physical and mental training you can learn to repeat your best performance more consistently in clinic and in all domains of your life.
Control from Within
We need to learn to be in control of ourselves, rather than letting the environment or others control us. How many times does a negatives word or image about chiropractic get you down? It doesn't have to be way. We each have the ability and power within us to shape our existence. This power does not rest outside of us. We all must ultimately accept the fact that we are the only ones who can take responsibility for our lives, our choices, and how we choose to see the world. When we are in this "space," others notice it, particularly our patients. They feel our confidence and strength. This control and power is necessary for what Herb Benson, MD, calls "remembered wellness," which is really just another way to describe innate.
In a future article, we will discuss the importance of the interaction between the doctor and patient in empowering innate and the healing process, regardless of whatever modality we choose to employ. This will build upon our current theme of peak performance and provide insight into why it is absolutely crucial to be at our best when we interact with patients.
Mindfulness -- the Foundation
The key to developing this control in your life and your work is mindfulness or self-awareness. As Socrates said, "Know thyself." When you gain more awareness, you can make more accurate adjustments in your work and in your life. This ability to refine the subtle intricacies of life experience is the critical skill that ultimately leads to more balance and increased happiness. More on mindfulness in the next article.
J.P. Pawliw-Fry, DC
Guelph, Ontario
Canada
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
