This question came from one of my Chiropractor clients: Question: “Robert, I’m having a hard time right now staying focused on my patient’s needs because of my own personal financial issues. Bill collectors, more patient cancellations, and less income for my practice, it’s hard to put it all out of my mind. How can I get past this so that I’m able to give my best to my patients?”
Answer: The first thing to realize is what you really do for your patients. Yes, you do treat their physical bodies, but the reason they come to you in the first place has more to do with emotion than with their physical health. The emotion they want to feel most is one of relief. They want you, the person they are turning to for help, to give them that relief. The best way to do that is to lead by example.
This is hard, even impossible, to do if you’re suffering from the stresses of your own financial worries.
More than ever, this is the time for leadership. My clients, and your patients are all asking for relief from what’s bringing them down, and they are turning to us as the leaders who can provide them with the relief they seek.
First, worrying about your personal financial situation will, of course, only make it worse. When you’re worried, your patients can feel it, and they will not get the relief they are seeking from you and, in time, they will stop coming back.
As a healer and a leader, getting yourself into a strong emotional state before you start seeing patients each day is vitally important for both you and your patients.
Put your focus on what you want, and find ways to relieve your own pressures so that when you are with your patients, they are getting the best of what you have to offer.
If you can’t find anything to look forward to, try just ignoring your own issues by focusing your love and attention on your patients.
This is a far better solution than being in the treatment room with thoughts of fear and panic running through your head and only half paying attention to your patients.
When your own energy is high, your patients will have a better experience and they will get the relief they seek from you. Even if you say not a word, your energy alone will be enough to help them feel better. This will make them want to come back again, and it will result in them telling their friends about you.
The real magic here has everything to do with how you show up for your patients. They are in pain, and if you’re also in pain, how much good can you really do for them? You know you can do better, and your patients deserve it.
I’d be happy to answer your questions too! Just e-mail me at robert@ultimatewealth.com