By Cathy Sovinsky

While reading an exercise/nutrition newsletter I came across a question and answer column. It may be the middle of winter, but the quest for a flat stomach is still on everyones minds. A reader asked, What is the best kind of sit up I can do to get rid of my belly fat and get a six pack The expert answered that sits ups, and for that matter any other kind of abdominal exercises, arent going to help you in your quest to shrink your midsection. He went on to explain that its your diet that needs to be addressed. The right diet will eliminate that fat around the waist faster than any exercise, including aerobic exercise, like running.

This got me thinking. Is there a right answer to the wrong question

The reader was essentially asking the wrong question. Its not, What kind of sit up will help me lose belly fat that should be asked. Sit ups dont help you loose belly fat. There is no answer to the question. This question assumes you already know the answer, that sit ups will reduce belly fat. What should be asked is What do I have to do to lose belly fat This question will allow you to dig into a much bigger basket for your answers and therefore youll be able to pull out more possible answers.

Searching for a solution to a problem while assuming you already know the answer doesnt work. Its insane. You must approach your questioning with a wide open mind. You need to consider all possibilities, not narrow your search to what you already think you know.

Chiropractors and Chiropractic Techs already think outside of the box when it comes to health care and have discovered the bodys incredible capacity to heal itself. When you have a pain you dont first run to the medicine cabinet for relief. You get adjusted first. Most people assume that medicine has the answers for their pains. They dont turn to chiropractic, diet, or exercise first for their pain relief. They ask the question, What drug can I take to relieve this pain versus, How can I get relief from my pain
In starting with the assumption that drugs and surgery are only options for pain relief, youll limit your answers. If you assume that sit ups are the key to belly fat loss, youll never look to a diet for the answer.

Perhaps, like the six pack seekers, you are asking the wrong questions in your quest for practice growth. It seems to me the worn out chant, I just need more new patients, is the equivalent of what kind of sit-up can I do to get a six pack. If you assume that all you need is new patients for practice growth, youll never look at other systems that may be askew or even non-existent in your office.

You must first acknowledge that you do not know it all. Ask the right questions. In so many words, staying dumb is the smartest thing you can do. This also relates to what we call coachability. People who ask the wrong questions arent very coachable. There is no right answer to the wrong question. Uncoachable people arent open to all possibilities, not even the opinions that they are paying a coach for. They are filled with ya-buts and excuses. They might be doing things, but like doing sit ups, they dont get the outcome they want, because they dont ask the right questions. Therefore, they arent getting the right answers and arent doing the things that will work.

How coachable are you

“To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step to knowledge.” Benjamin Disraeli

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” Confucius

It seems as though everyone thinks there is a magic bullet. We all search for that one thing, whether its a quest for a six pack or business growth. The fact is, that one thing isnt just one thing. Most success is a puzzle and it comes in many key pieces. While new patients are important to practice growth, they are only a piece of a grander picture. An important gage for practice progress is our statistics and this is a great place to start your questioning. There are many dimensions to statistics and many different things that they can reveal to you, provided you stay dumb and ask the right questions.

Stay dumb and prosper!