I hope you enjoy

Steve Jobs -- Start Living Before Your Die is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Will Smith… Pretty Powerful Stuff is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Its pretty simple, but its a different way to go about figuring “it all out” and getting focused in your life.

Post your comments below and let me know what you think.

Core Influence -- Getting Focused and Changing Your World is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

It was extremely scary walking away from a job (that allowed me to pay my bills on time) in order to start my own practice. In the end though I felt like God was calling me to take the leap. Lucky for me, I have a wife and family that believes in what I do and knows that I will see it through. With that in mind…I wanted to take this opportunity to lay out my goals for the next year.

1) My practice will see around 250 patients each week (Monday-Saturday). At 50 patients a day (plus any extra on Saturday, I will be able to maintain my style of practice (which is to talk with a patient as long as I like/need) but still get to help the maximum amount of people. I don’t want to see any more than 250 because I feel like I won’t be able to give everyone enough time.

2) I will have 5 online businesses running and on (near) autopilot. (I have 1 now…coffeemash.com)

3) I will get to play basketball every Thursday night (Work will never be an excuse to miss…unless there is a patient emergency)

4) I will get to spend more time with my brother…….period (no matter where he is….I will be making the time to go see him (work will never be an excuse to not hang out)

5) I will be on my way to being a dad….

That’s it…… God and Wife willing, nothing is going to hold me back from accomplishing the above.

In one year……Ask Me How I did!

-Dr Ben Adkins

P.S. I realize the personal nature of this post….but I believe in putting a little pressure on yourself….

5 Goals for July 23rd 2010 is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Personally, I can divide my memories into two major categories. There are the “triumphs” and there are the “failures”. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to think about and talk about all the good things that have happened in your life? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to revel in something good that you accomplished?

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to look at a “failure”?

It’s hard to look at something in your life where you didn’t “quite make it”. It’s even harder when you “didn’t quite make it” and it was in public

It seems to me that this is a flaw in some people. Whenever there is a failure in their life, whether it was in their control or not, most people have a really tough time taking a step back and examining the “anatomy” or make-up of their failure. While people need to always strive to succeed, it’s important that you learn how to manage and deconstruct failure when you do find yourself there.

So, when you fall into a situation that you consider a “failure” there are a few things that you need to do.

The Anatomy of (Successfully Navigating) Failure

A really smart guy (Zig Ziglar) once said, “Failure is an event, never a person; an attitude, not an outcome.”

That one statement pretty much sums up everything you need to understand about navigating failure, but let me break it down a little further for you.

“Failure is an event, Never a Person”

As a society we tend to put labels on people. We say, “John is such a Failure. He can’t do anything right”, or “John is such a success, everything he touches turns to Gold”. Thinking in such a manner makes absolutely no sense. Every person’s successes and failures are a culmination of a series of events. Those events may lead you to fortune or they may lead you to failure.

The moment you start seeing your day as a collection of events/opportunities that can build a success or failure, you start seeing a clearer picture of the way the world works.

Right now is the point when a few of you will start citing the fact that uncontrolled circumstances can play a part in our lives. And right now is the point when I start pointing out people like Helen Keller or any of the folks in the video below. (They didn’t exactly have a charmed life.)

When you look at a failure in your life, you have to do one thing. Break it down and learn from it. The only true failure is when you mess something up and don’t learn from it. If you have never had a “failure” in your life then you are essentially an un-complete person. Part of the “Human Experience” is falling down. Success is being able to use every failure in your life to achieve a success.

Let’s take a look at the second half of Mr. Ziglar’s Quote:

“Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.”

The second part of Zig’s quote is something that I think people have a really tough time with. The key to really overcoming failure is to see it as a temporary inconvenience. When “failure” really starts effecting our lives is when we lose the ability to let go of it. Failure is never an outcome….unless we make it that.

The point here is that unless a “failure” results in the life being taken from our bodies…then it doesn’t really exist…except for in our minds. If it does exist in our minds, however, then it can seem very real and even impact our “everyday”.

4 Steps to Dealing with Failure (Hint: all mental)

1. Realize that its only as real as we make it.
2. Failure is an event, not a person.
3. Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.
4. There is no lasting Success without Failure of some kind.

So, what was the biggest failure in your life so far?

How did it make you better?

If you haven’t seen the “light on the other side”…what are some possible outcomes that you can see?

The Anatomy of Failure is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Create Wellness Chiropractic (My Office in Poplar Bluff MO) set up shop at the 2009 Poplar Bluff Merchant’s Showcase. I have done just about every expo/showcase/exhibition in Poplar Bluff over the past 2 years and after talking to thousands of people about their health problems at these shows, a few patterns keep popping up.

Disclaimer: I’m not posting this to embarrass anyone or to vent any frustration. This post is to merely point out that the biggest problem that most of us have is our “refusal to do something about our problems”.

Three Major Themes I’ve Picked up On

1. People want to feel good all the time but aren’t willing to put in the work to get there.
2. 98% of the People I talk to know the solution to their problem but haven’t taken the time to “just fix it”.
3. The remaining 2% (we would call these people “victims of circumstance….or the people who “actually have a reason to feel slighted) are usually the ones that are busting their butts to fix things.

So, the two percent of people that I talk with who actually have no control over something bad that has happened and caused a problem in their life….are usually the one that are really working on “Change”. Why is this?

Why is it that 98% of us are dying by “our own swords”? I really don’t have an answer….Just a pep talk.

What would happen if you started really working to improve your situation in life?

What would happen if you stopped with the excuses and started fighting?

What would happen if you stopped “surviving” and started “kicking ass”? (excuse the language…but I think “kicking ass” gets the message across a little better than most phrases)

Create Wellness in Poplar Bluff has officially adopted a “No Excuses” policy. During the Month of May we’re going to kick off the “No Excuses” Campaign because the people that take an active interest in their well being are the ones that are changing the world.  I am dedicating the next year of my life (or longer if it takes that) to helping at least one person get rid of their “impossible” complex. Is that person you?

So…. What is “Impossible”?

I would love to hear what you think.

Getting Rid of "Impossible". is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

People come into my office and pay good money for help taking care of things that they can’t take care of themselves. I provide treatment, of course, but I also do something else.

I give advice.

Whether it be an exercise recommendation, a “lifestyle change” recommendation, or any useful piece of info, I know in my heart that the advice, if followed, will make someones quality of life better. Some people follow my advice…and some do not. The ones that follow it usually get better faster (and stay that way) and the ones that don’t usually take a little longer to help.

I’m not writing this today to harp on the patients that won’t take my advice. I’m writing so that I can take a look inward (and perhaps give you a window inside too).

I know that there are plenty of times in my life that I’ve been given good advice (and knew it was good when I got it), but didn’t follow that advice. I was only able to turn over a new leaf when I hit the proverbial “rock-bottom” and a change had to be made.

As I get older, I’ve really started to focus on the chase for “constant growth”. In this chase I’ve noticed that the good advice is harder and harder to come by. Why is it when I was younger and more unwilling to take any advice that “good advice” was everywhere? Now…I usually have to pay to get really good advice (that sounded bad….haha…I meant pay experts for their advice.)

I think that we all need to take a step back and really start to look for the “experts” who are already in our lives. I think that alot of the people who advance quickly in their chosen fields do so, not because they are already filled with information or have unlimited resources readily available, but instead because they have the innate ability to follow “good advice” (How was that for a “run-on” sentence?).

So……

Is there “good advice” staring you in the face right now that you don’t see.

-Dr. Ben Adkins

The Good Advice You Didn't Take is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

My office in Poplar Bluff Missouri continues to get a little busier everyday and it makes me think that we must be doing something right. When you open your own clinic, you are completely without a “machine” that generate patients, and at times it can be a little intimidating. Building an office from the ground up is no easy task.

As I look back over the past few months, I’m reminded that no matter how frustrating some cases/situations can be, we’re doing things the right way. We don’t compromise the quality of our patient’s care because of any outside pressure and we don’t ever have to apologize because we didn’t tell the patient “what we really thought, when we thought it” (because we’re always honest with our patients…whether they are ready to hear it or not…I think that’s what we all want from our Doctors)

I have been reading a book by the famous Zig Ziggler, and there are two lines that have really stuck with me (so far…I’m only a few Chapters in).

The first line goes something like this:

You can be as successful as you want in life as long as you figure out how to make other people successful.

If that isn’t true in healthcare… I don’t know what is. Our job, as Doctors (I don’t care what kind of doctor you are) is essentially to show people how to lead healthy lives and then help them fix any mistakes/accidents that occur along the way. (and then to show them how to avoid that mistake…or mistakes that result from that first one….in the future). Most successful doctors that I know…are successful because they do a good job of helping their patients be successful.

The Second Line:

We decided that we would rather explain cost one time than have to apologize for poor quality for years to come.

I love this because it sums up WHY doctors of any kind can never compromise the care they give because of FEAR. To all the new doctors out there that read the blog… Don’t ever let outside pressure dictate the way you treat. Your education makes you solid in the “knowing” part. A patient, boss, or other doctor can’t outflank you on this one.

As long as your honest and have the patient’s best interest in mind….you need to stick to your guns.

Your patients will get well because you gave them good treatment and recommendations…and the ones that ignored your recommendation will either get well (but much slower) or fail. You need to accept that you did your best because you gave them advice that was much more important than any “price”. You gave them recommendations based on what it would take to give them the best quality care.

Love your patients and realize that they come to you for your expertise (at least 98% do).

An interesting week…..but an amazing one. I never stop learning.

-Dr. Ben Adkins (Poplar Bluff MO Chiropractor)

Learning Everyday is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

This Post is part of Dr. Ben’s “Fitness 2009″ program. To follow Dr. Ben’s progress every week, visit the main “Fitness 2009″ page.

Failure and Bouncing back……

Those are the themes of week 5 and 6.

Week 5

If I learned anything at all in week 5, it was to trust what you blog in week 4 (haha). If you remember, in the “Week 3-4 Review” post I talked about how, for my weight, it was important that I only lose around 2 lbs. per week. I warned my readers that if I lost much more than that, that I would most likely “rebound”.

Well…. In week 5 I had my worst week yet.

I started off really tearing it up in week five. I was down around 4 lbs in the first few days (which I knew would turn around and  bite me in the ass. Sure enough, I went out and ate on Saturday night (a meal bigger than my usual 300-400 calories) and by Monday Morning I had only lost half a pound for the week. Now normally, one “off” meal wouldn’t hurt my progress, but I had lost too much weight at once, and my body went into “Rebound” mode.

I was very discouraged last week. In all failures, however, we learn something.

On to week 6…..

Week 6

At the beginning of week 5 I was really bummed out because I hadn’t lost much (total) weight in the previous week. I really wanted to hit it hard and exercise like crazy and not eat much…..

But the “Smarter Me” prevailed. I decided to stick to my program and goals. I didn’t modify my exercise or diet, and instead I opted to keep going with what had gotten me this far.

I am proud to announce that at the end of Week 5 (coming into Week 6) I had lost 3 and a half pounds.  In short…I rebounded from the rebound.

I am currently at 213 lbs (I started at 229 lbs).

I am at a milestone….I am around 2-3 lbs from being the weight I was when I was in highschool. I’m pretty excited to see if I can hit it.

I’ll let you know next week

-Dr. Ben

Week 5 and 6 is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

This Post is part of Dr. Ben’s “Fitness 2009″ program. To follow Dr. Ben’s progress every week, visit the main “Fitness 2009″ page.

Let me start off by saying sorry for missing a week of posting my progress (hence the “week 3-4″ review together). The ice storm that hit the “midwest” hit me as well and I was without electricity for a little while and without internet for even longer.

With that said, let’s get down to business.

In both week 3 and week 4 I lost 2 lbs (each week) for a grand total of four pounds. I started the “Fitness 2009″ program a month ago at 229 lbs and as of this past Monday I weighed 217 lbs.

My energy continues to be through the roof and I am consistently losing 2 lbs each week. This is exactly where I want to be.

So Why is it so Important that I only lose 2lbs per week?

Even though it can be especially frustrating to lose 2 lbs or below when you have alot to lose….it’s essential to not lose too much too quickly.

Minus the initial plunge……(Which usually happens when you first start a good fitness program) you should aim to lose less than two lbs per week (2 lbs is the absolute upper limit).

If you start losing more weight than 2lbs per week then your opening yourself up to gain it back….and quickly. You don’t want to make your body think that its starving and thereby cue it to store energy as fat any chance it gets.

If your losing under 2lbs per week, then that one night of bad eating isn’t going to bite you in the ass as much.

THE RULE: TRY TO KEEP WEIGHT LOSS UNDER 2LBS PER WEEK….

It’s healthier and it will last for the long haul.

If you skipped the box above…go back and read it….

So what have I changed since I started the program. (Every fitness program needs to adapt as you go)

1) I stopped charting my food after a month. I got to the point where I could maintain my daily calorie intake without having to chart everything. I didn’t get to this point over night. It took me a while and I still look up “new meals” that I’m not sure about. I eat alot…….it’s all about eating the right things and “pacing” (If you have no idea what “Pacing” is then make sure to sign up for the Newsletter because we’ll be talking in depth about pacing in February’s version (Which comes out this Friday so hurry and sign up!)

2) I run a little more than I did in the half of the month (1.5 mile a day or a mile at a faster pace).

3) I make sure that I don’t stress too much over my failure (like when I sleep in and miss my morning workout). Failures are okay as long as you make them up.

-Dr. Ben

Week 3-4 Review is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker