Not long ago, at the insistence of my fiancé, I rearranged my office a bit. I have to admit that I resisted the push to make the changes. After all, it’s been working just fine for the last 5 or so years and I was pretty comfortable with things being the way they were.
As we began the process I bristled at many of the suggestions she made and gave her multiple reasons why my way was better…or at least why we didn’t need to change them. I eventually capitulated and we ended up moving a few pieces of furniture around and rearranged some pictures. No major changes, mind you, just some small adjustments to improve the flow and organization in the office.
When I came into the office the next day I was amazed at how much I liked the new layout and how much better it felt. I was happier, had more energy and was more excited than usual to start seeing patients.
As the week progressed I had one of my busiest weeks in practice and no fewer than 6 different patients asked if I had gotten a new desk. (I didn’t. We had just moved it a few feet.) The small changes we made were instantly noticed by the patients and the consensus opinion was that the changes we made were good.
That got me to thinking…what we had done to my office was a lot like what I hear from patients and what I do with patients every day. Many people are going through life feeling “okay” and are “satisfied” with the status quo. They feel like as long as they aren’t having a health crisis or in a lot of pain they are “healthy”. They easily find ways to justify and rationalize any health issues they may have but seem to think that’s just the way it is when you’re getting older, have kids, etc. They take a variety of medications because their MD “said I have to” or because they saw an ad on TV or online.
When I first meet people and they find out what I do I’m frequently greeted by statements like, “Thank God I don’t need one”, “I went to one of you guys once years ago when I hurt my back”, “I really believe in what you do but I don’t need to go anymore”. I try to be polite (most of the time) when I hear these well-intentioned but misinformed statements and explain to them that getting Chiropractic care isn’t just about helping with back pain, neck pain and headaches (although we’re very good at that too!) It’s about keeping the spine moving and working properly so that one has a clear connection between the brain and body. We do that because we know that NORMAL FUNCTION = HEALTH and in order for the body to function normally you must have a clear connection between the master controller (the brain) and the body. By locating and making small, gentle adjustments to the spine we can not only help with their aches and pains but can also help their body work its best.
So what does all of this have to do with making adjustments to my office décor? A lot!
- Small adjustments (to the spine or to furniture) can make a big difference in how everything works.
- You don’t have to “feel bad” or be in pain to be better.
- When everything works correctly you feel better and have more energy.
- When you feel better and have more energy, people notice want to be around you more.
- Most men won’t make a change (in their wardrobe, hairstyle or health) until a woman makes them do it.
Until next time…Be well!