I have just watched the webinar on the relating your findings with great interest. It is a great asset to have so congrats and thanks to Cathy and her team, since she is the real boss! However it is amazing that no matter how often I hear discussions on the RYF I continually learn or hear different things. No doubt in light of our recent ramblings the reasons for my slight ineptitude are very apparent, however what I am coming to terms with is: a) to have a lot more fun and enjoy the challenges that all the patients including the NP brings and b) my recommendation is my best and only recommendation. It is non negotiable! And whilst I would love all my patients to accept them I really should not give a hoot if they disagree and do not take up care! A case of NEXT! It may have taken a while to see the wood from the trees and I have certainly experienced first hand the damage that negotiating and altering our recommendations mid RYF can do to our confidence both clinically and emotionally! But I readily admit that I have struggled to develop that no BS attitude, until now! Coincidentally I have just been reading about Paretos 80/20 law and I was just wondering how applicable it is with these negotiations. I wonder how much those patients who I pleaded with and coerced in to care cost me emotionally and financially and distracted me from all the patients who actually really wanted my care! Oh how easy life is with hind sight!
By the way like Chris I love this forum, for me I benefit hugely by iterating and indeed reiterating things on paper. But what I love most about the DC Mentors “family”, dysfunctional as you all are is how non judgmental you actually appear! Our discussions are never personal for which I am truly grateful, so thanks for your advice and for being confidants!
relating my dogma
(20 posts) (9 voices)-
Posted 10 months ago #
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Am I the only one who finds themself reading Dr. Bates' posts in an Irish accent. Not out loud, that would be weird, what would my staff think? Maybe I should read them at home to my wife, since apparently it is the sexiest accent in the world. She will probably find herself speechless if a threw a "whilst" out. Dr. Bates you help in ways you did not even probably realize. No wonder you have so many children!
Now what were you saying about dysfunctional?
Posted 10 months ago # -
We put the FUN in dysfunctional! :)
I also watched the RYF module and thought it was really good. I'll likely be reviewing it quite frequently.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Good call Dr. Perron on reading Dr. Bates' posts with an Irish accent. I read his words, and think of that accent, and it shouts sophistication. Then I remember him wearing a studded leather dog collar at Brainspa and the thought of refinement is gone. Talk about having proper balance in your life. I have a hard time believing Dr. Bates finds it difficult to have fun:)
Posted 10 months ago # -
My dear wife is still none the wiser as to what really goes on in Tahoe! I am not sure whether she entirely believes when I say it is really hard work and it genuinely is emotionally and mentally draining and to quote her "not just me on a jolly". However in fairness how else can you explain a studded dog collar, "licking", and "arousal"! Needless to say they did nt believe me going through customs either!
Regarding the whole issue of "fun", I think considering my corpus callosum is so miniscule I just had trouble focusing on more than one thing at a time! I do really enjoy and love what we do but in my search for "excellence" I took took the onus off the fun part! So our discussions over the past few weeks have helped a great deal! So thank you!
Me blaming my corpus callosum reminds me of a great article I read in one of our national papers a few weeks ago and it was titled "Ireland has a new BSE crisis"! Blame Someone Else!! I thought it was great particularly coming in this current climate!
Cheers all and have a great time in Sioux Falls!
EdPosted 10 months ago # -
Corpus Callosum. Does that mean your getting fat?
I do feel your pain Ed, I think. I have recently come to the revelation that this is not a fast process. I joined up with DCM about 2 and a half years ago and got of to a super fast start with regard to growth. I thought that this is simple, all I have to do is what I am told and things will just go up, up, up. I do still believe this to be true but it is a challenge when you have selective hearing.:) Back to "What got you here won't get you there." What I have found, so far, is that this is a layered process. You get to a certain level and then it becomes what have you done for me lately. The bar keeps rising and that it will require a sustained push not just over months but over years.(Building the WAVE) I have been so pumped with the vision of what the future holds I have needed to settle down and focus more on the day to day. Yes, if I am not the captain of the premature celebration team I am sure I would at least make the all star team. So recently I have actually started doing some practical goal setting, in writing, so that I can be more consistent with the push forward. With "push", I mean to say constant improvement both personally and professionally not force. I think I read somewhere "A dream without action is just a dream". Granted I know I have done alot to myself and my practice in the past couple of years but in retrospect it has been mostly BIG changes. The fun and seemingly risky stuff at the time. So I guess it is time to start sweating the small stuff, I don't find it as fun or get any adrenaline rush out of it but I now believe it is what separates the best from the rest and since I am no where near the best now seems like a good time to start. I have been listening to a Zig Ziglar audio alot lately and one of the statements he made that has stuck with me is that(at the time of the recording) 150 of the 500 CEO's of the Fortune 500 where former marines. He drilled home the importance of discipline. I worked out hard earlier this year and got such phenomal results I stopped. How stupid is that? I started again recently with a different mindset. I am now using that as my discipline anchor and barometer that I am staying on track. After bailing out of all insurance, renovating my office, and completely changing my "look" through Corestyle I have been left with a bit of an adrenaline let down. Where is the next big thing? At least at this time the only BIG thing left is going to be in the results of these changes not the changes themselves. The difference being in that it is not a quick hit like the other changes. In thinking so much about the big picture, which is way more fun for me, I have neglected the little things so in reality the big picture left me a bit short sighted.
I don't know if any of this applies to you Ed but has been the place that my mind has been led in the past few months and of course it was on some level the topic of this weeks Smart Talk which is always uncanny to me as to how that timeing works.
BTW Ed there is an indoor pool at the Siuox Falls conference site with a frog slide which you climb up the back and slide down the tongue. You could have worn the collar and met all of your expectations. Missing out!!
Posted 10 months ago # -
Dr. Peron: Pretty incredible introspection and understanding! I have been observing the discussions between you and your peers (I believe my son calls it "creeping") with a glad heart! It seems by "journaling" your thots in this manner is adding another layer of clarity to your process! As one of your coaches and mentors I must congratulate you and your colleagues! But, as your coach I also feel remiss in the fact that just now are you coming to terms with the fact that not only building the practice of your dreams but more importantly to me, is to be able to sustain a high-er volume practice year in, year out is totally dependent on doing "the small things"! The key distinction between a practice that sustains a high-er volume of patient care and one that does not is doing those little things every single day and with a glad heart and a confidence of knowing that if you continue to invest time energy and effort every day you will be successful. Like what you discovered with your exercise regiment, we observe the same phenomena in practice: we see the dr. make some changes, get some phenomenal results and then for some reason quit doing the little things that got the results in the 1st place. Remember what terrifies train conductors is not seeing a cow on the tracks (because the cow catcher will easily knock the cow off the track) what scares the conductor is seeing a mama pig with little piglets on the track because the LITTLE pigs slip under the cow catcher and can literally derail the entire train! It is always the little things that make or break us.
Posted 10 months ago # -
If it makes you feel any better Dr. Sea, I did admit to selective hearing. The day to day obviously isn't as sexy at the moment. Even though it is the delayed gratification part of the deal that is the biggest. Maybe you have underestimated how burnt I was when I began this process. So thank you for having higher expectations.:) I retrospect I don't think I was ready to come to grips with my "new revelation" until all the big stuff was gone because I was not able to see past the big obstacles and now that they are gone it is much clearer. I can accept that it is a process and it seems the sooner I do the better. See you tomorrow!
Posted 10 months ago # -
I wanted to quickly point out the advantage of actually participating on this forum other than just reading. I know from talking to some of you that far more people read this than write anything. Our coaches actually do look at this and after they are probably done shaking their heads it can provide them additional insight as to what our needs are. I am very needy so I feel good that Dr. Sea has an increased understanding of my shortcomings. I don't consider this creeping Dr. Sea because we actually want your help and think you are a smart guy. It will probably take your kids a few more years to get to that point.:) So, I would love to hear from more docs, but until then the hand full of us will just keep having fun.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Speaking of revelations, of which I've had many since beginning this journey with DC Mentors, I thought I'd share my latest 2. Recently, it really hit home how much I was dwelling on 'the numbers', how far away my goal was, how I only have so many on the books next week, whine, whine, whine. I finally realized how important it is to not OBSESS OVER STATS and really focus on the moment, be there with the patient. It's as if mentally, the blinds have been opened and I can see outside more clearly now.
Another thing is, with reading about everyone's experiences at last year's Core and the one coming up, I'm kicking myself for not attending. I've realized that I'm not really playing full out as I missed this year's CPS and Brain Spa. I'll be going to Activator this weekend instead, but I'm resolved to now start playing full out. Thanks for the rant...
Posted 10 months ago # -
Dr. John thanks for some brutally honest revelations about your quest! We all have them but some never see the light of day so they never get addressed and healed! Nice work. Your point about "playing full out" is so much more impactful than you know! As an ex football player; I believe you were a safety or linebacker? When did most injuries occur? When the player thot the play was about "over" and let up just a bit as they were heading out of bounds or about to take a hit.....In practice when you are not playing full tilt you tend to get a similar result. Maybe not a physical injury but definitely not the result you want! As far as not coming to CPS in Sioux Falls you are indeed missing an opportunity and I congratulate you on this realization. Your DC Mentors community/family is an incredible asset to your career. Your peeps provide a sense of community of like minded colleagues and friends you will have realistically for life. DC Mentors doctors are very special people and we as your coaches are proud to be on the playing field with you all. Don't miss the next opportunity and never again my friend. We will miss you this weekend!
Posted 10 months ago # -
What I also enjoy about this forum is that it is very reassuring to know that others suffer the same heart ache and similar trials and tribulations! And yes it is ressuring that there are some other not so sharp pencils in the box! Dr John like yourself I consider myself a Master at obsessing about my Stats. Although hopefully these days I am a reformed stata-holic! When I first started coaching over 5 years ago, I lose track of how long it was, but like Chris I went through a period of massive growth. My practice numbers sored and yet at that stage I had no technique, no properly trained staff absolutely no clue in other words! I was out of control! But because I was so preoccupied with all the Big stuff - I had no time to even reflect on the stats. All I knew was I was busy. But suddenly I found that my technical skills had considerably improved, my staff were properly trained and I had systems in place and from that point, alas I had time to dwell on the diary. And it all became about the numbers or for me one big number and from that point I strangled the living daylights out of clinic! I so was totally fixated on the number that I drove the clinic in to reverse and only lately with the help of this forum and our coaches am i managing to stem the tide and turn the beast around. It has been a real struggle! But yet in the same breathe the journey going back will be easier because I know I can do it! But as you said I must play "full out" and like you not miss seminars! A similar analogy that comes to mind was that year we skiied together in Tahoe with Wade - the last run was never the last run we all called it the last but one run, for exactly the same reasons - complacency and laziness would lead to injury! Cheers Ed
Posted 9 months ago # -
A trick I started months ago at the advice of Dr. T was to never look at the appt. book. Particularly ahead of time. I looked at it with my staff a couple of times when I was feeling the clusters were not clustering and instead there felt like more of a steady stream. (Reference 2.5 hour rule, can we say stunted growth). But even then I was looking at it with regard to pattern. I can look at it from across the room to figure out all I want. It was a habit breaker at first but now I rarely even think about it. What it did for me was not stunting my own growth by playing to the level of the competition. In other words I see a lighter cluster, no arousal, minimal challenge and now I am attracting my most dominate thought "easy clusters". The other way I have learned to play that game is that even if it is quieter in the waiting room trying to play the mindgame that a cluster of 20 is showing up starting in a couple of minutes so that is my motivation to stay at the pace I should be anyway. It also avoids giving the patient the feel of a longer appt so that they come to expect a pace that is not in either of our best interests. And so the downward spiral goes. In defense of my front tech our cluster challenge was a system breakdown that is being addressed and the clusters have become clusters once again. I was concerned with the cluster thing because it was getting rare that the pace was being pushed and so I knew that I was getting into a slower pace/too comfortable zone. I am steadily picking it back up but I am also not where I was a while ago with regard to pace. And although, like Ed, I share the confidence of being able to do better than my present circumstance but what a waste of energy to have to keep learning things more than once.
I also come home most Friday's and my wife will ask how busy was the week and I will usually say I don't know exactly but it felt... That is not to say I don't look at my stats because trust me I care what the scoreboard says as well, but I guess maybe I have taken on the mindset that since I care about the scoreboard so much I will do what I am told, at least most of the time.:) The funny thing is when I do, it always seems to work. I am sure that you all have NO IDEA what I mean though. :) (Sarcasm very intended)
Posted 9 months ago # -
Not to rub it in but you all missed a great conference. It was different than any yet and I found very practical for staff in particular. It promoted team building activities and was just simply very practical in application. No offense to Dr. Frank (since he was not there) but I found it better than the Chicago conferences. That is not to say I have not also enjoyed those and gotten a great deal out of them but if I had to compare, particularly from a staff included standpoint, this was just great.
Again, not to rub it in Ed and John but if you needed additional motivation from the outside world...
I missed BrainSpa this year for some personal reasons, and it was the first conference I have missed and I ate me up inside because I knew what I was missing. I can tell you that my patients could not have cared less that I didn't get to go to Tahoe and they showed it by coming in a bit less for about a month afterwards and we are just about getting back to preBrainSpa numbers now. So don't beat yourself up or "sulk" like I did because trust me it does no good. Everything is a lesson and I hope I learned mine and hopefully my recent firsthand experience will help you avoid the same.
Posted 9 months ago # -
This has been a pretty fascinating thread. I have caught myself so many times saying, "That's where I'm at right now!" Thank you all for your candor becuase I has really helped me see things more clearly.
Case in point, after reading your last posts, Chris, I now feel like I "get" the 2.5 Hour Rule. I consciously "knew" it before and could happily rattle it off on cue. It's a totally different understanding for me now.
Thanks Chris!
Posted 9 months ago # -
Dr Davis I totally agree with your sentiments. What I have often found with this forum is that I am prompted to relook at things I had not really considered important, only to find it otherwise! An analogy I came up with is its like doing the housework, which I obviously often do! With housework you are never done cleaning, polishing and putting away etc! But if you start missing one of those steps the end result is no way near as good! A case of no mischief for you tonight dear, dog collar or no! Anyway I received a huge wake up call a few weeks ago when I was prompted to go back timing and listening to myself! Unfortunately I had deluded myself that that was an area I was ok on! In fact I often told myself or reminded myself that when my coaches visited on masse to the clinic back in May 2008 they happened to mention that my treatment times were very adequate! Sadly that was then and this was now! My treatment times were a disaster! And yet there I was living in cloud cuckoo land having convinced myself that my problems were all down to something or indeed someone else!!
Posted 9 months ago # -
Hey Everyone,
This forum is awesome, this is my first time on.
Dr. Shue, is that you registered as Dr. John!!
I will go by Mastrobattisto to avoid any confusion.
I to get something new everytime I read or watch the webinar on RYF. It is so apparent that changing your recommendation is one of the worst possible strategies there is. There is so much to lose and so little to gain from this and the notion that it may feel patient centered is where I can get hung up at times. Staying true and delivering my best gives me a much better sense of service and being patient centered. It also keeps me grounded in my philosophy and technique.
I love reading all your comments.
See you soon.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Hi All,
This is great guys! I'm pretty sure I just had a huge ah hah moment with you guys this morning. It came from reading Dr. John's post (thanks by the way). When you were talking about that you had been shitting and moaning that you were far away from your goals, I realized that I'm pretty sure that I've been sabotaging myself because I'm incredibly close to my goals. I get there and then I realize I'm there and I don't have anywhere else to go but slide back down that slippery slope (That I'm pretty sure one of you licked to make it more slippy). And then I have a challenge to get back up again, which keeps me going... How screwed up is that???? You think I would have noticed that before. Do you think maybe I need to set a new goal? I'll get on that right now.
And BTW... sorry about the language. :)
Posted 9 months ago # -
You are right I for one was SITTING and moaning but not so much of the other. It reminds me of graffiti in one of the school bathrooms! "some come here to sit and think, but I come here to s*** and stink". There is another line but I will quit whilst I am ahead! Dr Danella I dont know how you do it but you certainly bring a whole new dimension to these discussions and to the Pod calls!!!
Anyway back to the issues at hand - goals and goal setting! I think out of all the pearls of wisdom that our coaches pass on to us, the one I excel most at is "make more mistakes" and my goal setting fits right in there. By painful first hand experience I have come to realise that the goals we set are only stepping stones on our journey! They are not the be all and end all and certainly not the destination! Otherwise when you reach your goal it is exactly how you described; a case of big deal whats next and it is a real sense of anticlimax! I cannot remember who to credit the analogy with but sme one on this forum or indeed pod said Goal setting should be like hiking in the mountains we tackle one peak at a time but once you have reached the summit of one, the next peak looms in to view! So what I now try to do with goals is to change them just before I reach them and that then avoids the back slapping adulation that we all do that preceeds complacency! My biggest mistake/regret is forgetting that we are meant to be enjoying the process rather than becoming too fixated or obsessed by our goals. They are only a score board and like in a previous discussion they are not a reflection on who or what we are!Posted 9 months ago # -
Dr. Ed I agree with you. It is so important to enjoy the process. I know for me when I am not enjoying those around me I can't "hear" people. By not "hearing" people, I miss out on the distinctions of who they are.
I am so glad to read these forums. After today's POD call, I couldn't wait to get home and read the current forums.Posted 9 months ago #
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