Family Wellness Care Growing Market

I've noticed many wonderful Chiropractors have virtually ignored family and pediatric care...not necessarily because they don't care about children's health, but maybe they don't know how to go about doing it. This ChiroWeb article is a brief introduction to the growth of family wellness and pediatric chiropractic. Click on this link to learn more about how you can educate and entertain children in your practice. There are a number of other sites mentioned in the ChiroWeb article, including national organizations committed to training DCs in this vital growing aspect of our profession.

Amazing Unforgettable Entrepreneur

I have a fantastic story to tell today. My wife of nearly 16 years is the love of life. But she is also a great friend/companion/homemaker/housewife/mother/home educator/inventor/entrepreneur. She is AMAZING! Sometimes, to my peril, I've forgotten or ignored her greatness. It has been a timely and much needed reminder to all of us just how great she is becoming.
Risk often brings fear and worry into our lives, yet this is probably a healthy thing b/c it makes us evaluate our purpose in life. We can chose how we respond to life. Winners (eagles) will rise up to a challenge and jump forward toward greatness. Their keen vision and clear goals allow them to dive headlong from the death-defying heights of the skies precisely aimed at their target. This risk is necessary for success. Their dreams will only be achieved by flying. The entrepreneur is unlike everyone else.
Let me contrast eagles with most of the people I've met. The majority (chickens) stay close to home, squawk about their problems, cower in fear, peck around in the dirt, and quit when the going gets tough. They never realize their dreams and may even avoid thinking about the world outside of their cage. Perhaps a family member or teacher or spouse or boss stole away their dreams. Fears and self doubts rule over the majority, shackling them to low expectations.
Over our years together as husband and wife I have seen my wife shrink back from many new things. She felt forgettable and average...but that was the past. We have a different plan now. 2008 is the year we do new things instead of talk about them. 2008 is a new phase of growth and risk. 2008 will be amazing.
This last weekend at Palmer Destination Success left no doubts in anyone's mind that she is unforgettable! Many of my friends and colleagues got to see a new side of her and they were amazed. When I handed one of her great new ChiroKiddos business cards to one of the "student leaders" at Palmer he was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say. She shared her vision for the company - helping Chiropractors take the BIG IDEA of Chiropractic to children and their families - and he looked puzzled. She explained the critical importance of having children's spines checked and adjusted so they can grow and develop properly, yet this normally intelligent young man couldn't wrap his mind around it. Even after my children explained what the Atlas and Axis ChiroKiddos did to help DCs help kids learn about how the body works, he still looked stupefied. Finally we walked away to talk to some other people. Only later on that evening did we realize what happened. He was afraid. Our new idea was intimidating to him. His small view of what students and their spouses can accomplish was blown away and he couldn't process the data. I LOVED IT!!!
My wife is creative. She invented a phenomenal teaching tool to propel her vision that every child needs specific chiropractic care (and the earlier the better). And then she had the audacity and courage to form a company to promote her ideals. ChiroKiddos was born and delivered at the Fountainhead of Chiropractic. She doesn't fit inside the box of mediocrity. She is an eagle, not a chicken. Most people will never understand...but some of you out there get it and we ask you to join us on a grand adventure.
Thanks to Jennifer Lease (for coming all the way from AZ to help), Patrick and Jackie Newhouse (for being ChiroKiddos ambassadors all day long), Roger Duda and Andy Gibson (computers), Dwight Bailey (for the vendor space), and my children (the original ChiroKiddos for all their help).

Keep Moving Forward...changing, learning, and growing, as we go...

Well, the big launch event this weekend at Palmer Destination Success will primarily be a marketing and name promotional event for us. Our ChiroKiddos supplier has been delayed in getting the recordable sound modules from one of his partners, so we will not have any product on hand this weekend.
But we will not be deterred by such a trivial nuisance!! To quote one of my kids' favorite new movies we will "KEEP MOVING FORWARD!" For any of my readers (all three of them) who are unfamiliar with children's movies, I must give a hearty recommendation for Disney's recent Meet the Robinsons. This YouTube scene from the movie is far superior to the typical industry trailer (which doesn't do justice to the movie or the fantastic story.) If you've not seen Meet the Robinsons yet, go rent the DVD this weekend.
Keep moving forward. Persevere. Never give up. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Practice makes perfect--or as my piano teacher often said, "Perfect practice makes perfect."
So, if you are facing some hard times or struggling to get things working right, I'd like to encourage you to keep moving forward.
Don't let unmet expectations stop your progress.

Taking the BIG IDEA to the Little People

ChiroKiddos pediatric chiropractic education company launches in 3 days! We exist to help Chiropractors bring the message of chiropractic to children and their families. At ChiroKiddos we hope to bring more children under specific chiropractic care so they can enjoy a lifetime of good health. Check out the website for more info. and to order your very own ChiroKiddos.

Website is online!

ChiroKiddos is online now. Go check it out! We are still a few days away from it being fully functional, but at least you can see the Atlas and Axis characters. My wife has a design patent pending on these figures. Their unique characteristics include: palpable AND adjustable spine, plus they talk too. Kids love to play with them. Doctors will love the new patients generated by active use of ChiroKiddos.
Purchasing on the web will be available by the last week of March. We have a special introductory price on the Atlas-Axis Combo, $20.00 off if you buy the pair.
These 15 inch plush figures are a one-of-kind pediatric education aide. Chiropractors are waiting expectantly for this product to hit the market. Student interest at my college is building this week as they see posters, travel mugs, bags, and other promo items. We are anticipating a grand launch at the Palmer Destination Success event.
As I contemplate the upcoming holiday...the earliest date for the Easter since 1913...I think it would be appropriate to read through one of the Gospel accounts of the Passion of Christ during this holy week. I'd suggest starting with Matthew 26-28 found here: Biblegateway (a great resource for searching the Bible). If you want more info. just drop me an email. bigidea@chirokiddos.com
I'll write again soon...look for a continuing series about Healthy Kids.
Until then, have a wonderful Friday and Resurrection Sunday!

Animation

A cool link by Alan Becker:
Animator vs Animation

Adapting to Change

As the launch date approaches, I'd like to have some help spreading the word about ChiroKiddos. The website will be online soon...I'll keep you posted.
The Palmer College of Chiropractic student newspaper The Beacon will run an ad and article in the March issue (should be distributed this week).
With all the new things happening with my wife's business, our household is constantly changing. We are learning to adapt to the idea of running a company. In case you are facing life changes too, here are some thoughts on change:

I've heard it said, "Nobody likes to be changed except babies, and even they fuss and holler during the process!" And what about this one, "Beyond death and taxes, the only constant in life is change itself." Even as we've grown accustomed to the idea of change occurring there remains some apprehension about what will be next!?…So I figured we all might be in need of some reassurance and stability.

I have lived over 37 years and in my observations of humanity it has become clear that nobody enjoys life when their little world is altered by outside forces. Let's face it: changing is difficult, and it can be downright annoying when someone else's decision was forced upon us without our input or knowledge. Many changes are healthy and welcomed, but that doesn't make them easy.

While many marketing/business gurus tell us that the only successful businesses are the ones which adapt quickly to changing markets and provide unique services to the new consumer, it is not an easy thing to do. "Innovate or Die!" may be their mantra, but how can we keep up with the rapidly changing pace of life? Where is the solid predictable routine allowing me to function with some level of sanity?

First of all: liking change and learning to adapt to it are not synonymous. We may not like the next president (or the current one), but does that mean we will uproot our lives and move to another country in protest? I personally don't like paying taxes and think the government wastes incredible amounts of money. So I vote, write letters, make phone calls, sign petitions, send emails, and discuss my concerns--then get this--I move on with my life. Although I do not agree with every decision made by our leaders, I am proud to be an American and I sincerely enjoy the freedoms this country affords my family to live and worship as we please.

This analogy may break down for you at some point, but maybe there will be a nugget for you to apply to your life. Yes we get stuck dealing with change regularly, yet I wonder if that is part of the grand plan to toughen us up a bit for the real world?

Secondly: If you have coworkers, employees, colleagues, or staff who gripe and complain about the changes just keep an eye on them. They will likely make adjustments and continue pressing forward or give up and quit as failures and you may even need to encourage this in their lives. No matter how horrible it appears, the world actually hasn't come to an end! Remember the caterpillar becomes a butterfly only after a long hard metamorphosis.

Thirdly: Remember the high calling we have--to deliver hope and health to the public. Pursue that goal. Keep your focus on why you are a Chiropractor or Teacher or Parent. Don't allow the changes you don't like to bring you down; better yet, don't let other people's disillusionment bring you down. I always tell my children that they can decide how they will respond to situations. We get to choose how we react. We can rise above the malcontents and soar above the fray. Let us not fall to the lowest common denominator and grumble about the winds of change. If I don't like the direction of the wind I can always adjust the sails.

To paraphrase B.J. Palmer, don't underestimate how powerful and far-reaching things you say and do today will be for other people tomorrow. Changes and our reaction/adaptation to the environment are true hallmarks of Chiropractic, so we might as well begin now.