248 Unnecessary Days

by on Mar, 15, 2012 in Business Basics, Harsh Reality

Not gonna’ lie to you, this has been a week from hell.

I’ve been feeling the shadow of illness reaching out for me with its sludge moistened claws for the last three weeks now. Finally, and with great satisfaction, it grabbed hold of me on Sunday, forced me into a headlock and made me its bitch.

I hate being sick. I don’t know whether it’s because I work in health care, or just the simple fact that feeling like complete ass is not on my top ten list. But when I start to get sick I get this feeling like my body is failing to defend me, and it makes me cranky, to start, but also a little down. Like I’m not good enough.

I know, right?

Really Strand? The flu kicks you in the teeth so hard you get depressed? No… not depressed, so to speak. But it does have a tendency to make me immediately introspective. Did I do this to myself? Am I taking on too much? Stress? Which of the Gods did I anger this time? Thinking back I’d say probably all of them.

Since Sunday I’ve had a splitting headache, my body has been in full revolt of any sort of food processing and sleep has been like that chick I used to date in Canada… a myth. And how did I spend my Monday? I went to work!

248 unnecessary days… that’s how long it’s been since I have had acupuncture.

This isn’t a soap-box moment about the benefits of acupuncture in any way. It’s my medicine of choice. You may prefer checking in with your medical doc, chiropractor, massage therapist or the chick who sells you crystals at the farmer’s market. The point is, I haven’t done a damned thing to keep myself in working condition.

There are many reasons for this, and none of them hold much stake in reality, so I figured I would publicly debunk my reasons as a lesson to us all.

I don’t need it!

Ah, yes. Bullshit statement number one. I make jokes about being a machine all the time, but in all reality we are all machines. We are nothing if not a beautifully conceived collection of parts which function together in harmony until dysfunction is allowed to manifest. The fact of the matter is that we take our car in for service every three to five thousand miles whether we think it needs or not simply to prevent illness!

I don’t have the time!

This one may even be more of a bullshit statement than the first. Time is one of those perspective quantities. If you’re really enjoying yourself “time flies” and if you’re knee deep in grenade pins it    d   r      a        g           s…

How long was the last massage appointment you had? I’m guessing around an hour. And even supposing you had to drive an hour each way and wait in the lobby for 15 minutes we’re still looking at less than three and a half hours. Ever been sick for just three and a half hours?

Didn’t think so.

This is my one of my biggest crutches. “I don’t have time” escapes my lips more times than I care to count. In all reality I have all the time I will ever need, and certainly all I will ever have. And maybe this is more of a living in the moment kind of thing where I become completely engrossed in whatever I’m doing. But that doesn’t mean there is no time. What I don’t have time for is being sick.

There’s no one I trust!

Okay… maybe. Anyone who really knows me understands that I hold myself in high regard (Duh! Have you met me?!). The bar that I set for a medical practitioner is admittedly a little out of what should be considered acceptable by any set of expectations. But still, there it is.

Particularly for those of us in the medical profession this can be a tough pill to swallow; it’s large, has sharp edges and tastes like cat urine. But I have two ways around this. The first is my way. The second is the professional, perhaps more rational way (and one I may have to succumb to… someday).

Method number one (forever now to be called Eric’s way): find someone better than you! Someone you respect and trust implicitly. In my case I have two.

Method number two (aka “stop being so full of yourself”): you might be the best at what you do, be that doctor, lawyer, photographer, musician, teacher, etc… but you’re only the best at doing it for other people! You shouldn’t doctor yourself and it’s pretty tough to dance with your spouse at your wedding and be in the band. When it comes to taking care of your body you’re going to have to give up some of the controls and let someone else be the boss.

I can’t afford it!

This is the only category I’m not going to shove immediately under the heading of you’re just making big, fat, pansy excuses. Money is a big factor, particularly these days. No one likes to blow money to get there butt checked at the doctors, but hey, if it can save your life it’s probably worth the dough.

The problem with  money is that you can feel the effect in multiple ways. Taking time off work, for example, can mean less money coming in, which means less money to pay someone to take care of you. On the other hand money going out can mean you have to work a little extra harder to make ends meet. I get it. Trust me… I get it.

But before you choose to skip your chiropractor next time, or talk yourself out of spending the $60 on nutritional counseling remember one thing: you are only here once. Each and every day you get to spend walking around during this thing called life is good day. Every day you walk around healthy is a great day!

So here we are

It’s been 248 unnecessary days since my last acupuncture appointment. I’ve got just over an hour and a half to be downtown for my 6:15 appointment with someone I respect and admire. I’ve got all the time in the world to be happy and healthy, and I’m tired of making excuses and suffering the consequences.

Taking care of me helps to take care of my business. And this time I’ll do better.

How about you?

Read full story • Comments { 4 }

Half-Assed < No-Assed

by on Mar, 14, 2012 in Business Basics

All Work and No Play...

One of the biggest struggles I come face to face with is when to call it quits. Admittedly I only think I’m a machine… and therein lies the problem.

I imagine a machine would have no issue smashing through a 17 hour work day, take a few hours to lubricate its many intricate parts, recharge its battery and hop right back into the thick of things. I am not a machine, however… I checked.

I push myself, as we all do, to get that one last project off my desk; to wrap up my last chart note, file away the last bits of paperwork strewn across my desk, or clean up the treatment rooms for tomorrow’s chaos of medical business life. The problem comes when I am done. Not done in the sense of actual work, that is, but physically, mentally and emotionally in the bag… nothing left to give.

If you’re like me then you have a tendency to press on. I repeat to myself, “hey… just thirty more minutes Doc. You don’t want to have to do this tomorrow,” and I push through. Sure I get my to-do list done, but at what cost?

Half the time when I’m in this mood the work that I produce is sub-par at best, and total shit at worst. I end up going through my clinic the next morning anyway to fix the things I hurriedly finished, find sloppy mistakes or just plain lose things that I supposedly filed.

Why? I certainly don’t relish doing things twice, trust me. In point of fact I find that downright irritating.

The lesson of the day: Half-assed is always worse than No-Assed!

Don’t push yourself to finish when it’s not crucial to your business to do so. If you have a project that you are doing merely to fill the time and find yourself unmotivated, uninspired, or worse uninterested then stop- close the books, get up from your desk and walk away.

Sometimes we forget just how important it is to listen to those little signals we send ourselves. When you aren’t there anymore, or when that little voice in your head is whispering to you how very much fun you could have outside on the first sunny day of the year… do it. Many times you’ll just end up having to do it all over again anyway… and nothing sucks more in business than doing things twice.

Photo courtesy of Artistic Impressions by Tera.

Read full story • Comments { 2 }

Let Someone Else Do That

by on Mar, 07, 2012 in Business Basics

 

Presenting Mr. Hulsey

I’m filing this under Business Basics, but in all reality this is a Life Basic: there is a time and place for each of us to step back and let the pro’s do their job.

A good friend and Marine buddy of mine is currently knee deep in the grenade pins of legal chaos. He’s had an attorney involved for a while now, but he just posted something that I really found to be, well, profound… he’s stepping back and letting the attorney do the fighting.

Such an important lesson for each of us.

When was the last time that you as a business owner took off your shoes and just enjoyed the show for a while? I’m not talking about some bullshit lawsuit (and I give you mad props for letting someone else be the boss on this one, John!), but there are so many ways that we as business owners can and should take a step back and let someone else do the heavy lifting:

  • Someone to clean your office, or maintain your plantlife
  • Yard and exterior building maintenance
  • Bookkeeping
  • Front desk/reception
  • A go-fer… someone to run your errands!
  • Typing up your dictated notes or filing charts
  • Ordering, stocking and taking inventory
  • Laundry
  • Legal help

Really, the list is endless to who you could seek out, but the key here is this- if you could take just one thing off your plate today, would it help? Whether you pay for it or work a trade of some sort, shoveling things off of your plate can only serve to enrich your life. Go be the doctor, or the manager… focus on taking your pictures, writing your book, or composing your music and let someone else do what they do best.

I am the king of multitasking (or so the voices tell me) and there’s also a pretty thick vein of control-freak running thru me, but even I look for professional help! (okay, okay… shrinks too)

John, you motivate me in so many ways, but today, my friend, I’m just happy for you. Thanks for reminding me how important it is to let someone else do that!

John Hulsey has not endorsed this post in any way, but he’s used to people talking about him! You can read the blog post which inspired my mid-day rant, or follow along John’s motivational journey to the Pasadena Marathon.

Read full story • Comments { 3 }

Hard Knock Lessons: A Series

by on Mar, 05, 2012 in Hard Knock Lessons

I’ve decided to start a new series of writing called Hard Knock Lessons: …

I’ve never actually been someone who claims to know it all, often times I’m just so confident that it seems like I do. Please don’t take this to think I won’t argue my point, particularly when faced with a pompous ass-hat who knows less than dick about business and has just made it by on pure, dumb luck. But I digress…

Working with other business owners I see both great and terrible ideas and actions; each of them is something to learn from . Those things that are intelligently thought out and enacted make their way into my own lessons from the field, so to speak. Meanwhile the craptastic concepts and devastating failures are neatly packed into my vault of don’t try this at home! I am hoping, in some small way, that these lessons can enrich your life as much as they have done mine.

So without further ado, I bring you the first installment of Hard Knock Lessons: Daedalus Winery.

Wine To Be

I am a wine snob. Not in a terrible way, unless you’re the person who made the rot-gut-shit wine I am making stink face about… but more in the way that I like to drink the good stuff and am more than willing to pay for the experience.

One of my favorite Pinot Noirs on the planet is made by Daedalus Winery, a family owned and operated vineyard that uses more nature and nurture than they do chemicals and additives. Anyway, back in October of 2011 I had the privilege of being invited to take part in the stemming and sorting of a new batch of pinot grapes, soon to be poured into the Jezebel label.

How could I say no? I mean, anyone can drink wine… how many people actually get to make it?

The only thing Pam Walden (owner and operator) told me about the day was to “dress warm” and to “wear something you don’t mind getting sticky.” Decisions, decisions since I am not, by nature, adverse to sticky.

I rolled up to the huge facility where the grapes were going to be processed around 9 am, outfitted in my clinic sweatshirt, jeans and a pair of old hiking boots. It didn’t take long before Pam found me in the parking lot and escorted me back to the chilly warehouse, passing the stacks of wine barrels and into the area where the big de-stemming machine sparkled against the wall.

Feeling out of place, I looked around for some way to get involved… there was some cleaning going on by a couple guys who knew what they were doing, but for the most part everyone just kind of walked around, listening to music, and throwing the occasional ball for Buddy, Pam’s dog. I didn’t understand. I was here to help with the grapes, but there weren’t any grapes!

It turns out that the grapes are something you wait for. And this was where my lesson started with Daedalus.

Our grapes were still waiting to be loaded onto a truck and then shipped over to us because they had just recently been harvested and crated! I was blown away that something so integral to making grapes into wine was not planned better. Why are we waiting until the last minute to move the grapes? Wouldn’t this have been a better use of time if the grapes were delivered and then sorting and stemming was scheduled?

In a perfect world, perhaps.

In business planning is everything. We set our goals, make our dates and establish benchmarks along the way to ensure progress. With wine there are many benchmarks; when the grapes are ready you harvest; when the grapes are delivered you sort and stem; when the grapes are ready you start fermentation; and when the wine is ready you drink. But time is an abstract here. It changes from harvest to harvest, and grape to grape!

Enjoy Life!

Wine is art, some would say, so of course it doesn’t subscribe to the standards. But I would hasten to argue that wine is life, and it doesn’t get any more business than this! Grapes are the life blood of a winery. To lose a crop for any reason would be devastating: think then how much more devastating it can be when human error and trying to force time can be.

An important part of goal setting is making sure that your desired outcome is time specific. And I still believe that, to an extent. But spending that Thursday back in October with Pam, Jennifer and 20 odd cases of pinot grapes taught me that sometimes, every so often it’s okay to let time be the unknown. To take things as they come… and not be so worked up over that Friday deadline. Rushing things is never a good idea. And with wine, well it’s downright terrible.

Prost!

 

 

Read full story • Comments { 2 }

Be YOU!

by on Feb, 26, 2012 in Motivational

Imitation is the highest form of flattery – but it is only going to get you so far. At some point you will revert to the person you are, the man you have been, or the woman you will become. Mimicking someone else’s business model, management style or creative concept may get you off the ground, but it will eventually leave you standing wide-eyed and without direction when it comes time to take that next step forward.

You are where you are and who you are. Be you.

Don’t hide it. Don’t lie about it. Don’t be afraid to try and fail. Be YOU.

Because now and forever there’s only one you, and then there’s everyone else.

Be YOU!

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Mediocrity sucks!

by on Feb, 25, 2012 in Motivational

Why set limits?
Why set limits?

This is my first weekend not working since December. To clarify further, this is my first day not working since December. But that’s not what this post is about: I’m a machine, so days off are spent finding other things to add to my plate.

So instead, let’s talk about you!

I’m pissed off. And while I just said I wanted to talk about you, I really want to bitch about the 10 cup coffee maker in the condo on the Oregon coast I woke up in this morning. Right on the ocean, I sit here staring not at the waves crashing just below me, but instead at the piece of crap 10 cup coffee maker on the counter.

I make a full pot of coffee- for me it’s 12 cups or nothing! How the hell can I turn this frown upside-down? Easy… I go back to work.

In the coffee pot selections of life there are a plethora of choices; from the single serving Keurig and Krups, to the 12 cup Black and Decker.

This got me thinking: why would anyone choose to be a 10 cup maker when you could be a 12?

Part of succeeding in business is being a big enough threat to the other guys out there. You don’t necessarily have to be Starbucks, but you can be Seattle’s Best! If you aren’t setting your business bar high enough you’re doomed to be mediocre for all eternity.

That sounded melodramatic.

How about I phrase it this way… in business you need to set your sights high enough, constantly challenging yourself to be better. Choosing to be the 10 cup maker in a world of 12 cuppers is just silly. While you may not ever be the best in your field of choice, you damned well better have those aspirations!

And for all of you out there worrying that I spent my morning in misery, don’t fret! There was plenty of room in that damned carafe for 12 cups… and getting 12 cups out of a 10 cupper is what we call creative use of resources. Write that down.

Now… time to focus on the water.

** Side note. In case you don’t get the Starbucks vs. Seattle’s Best reference; Seattle’s Best was a coffee and ice cream shop run by two brothers with roots back to 1970. By 1997 they were tired of fighting the corporate dollars of Starbucks and sold to a group of investors. This new group took stock of what they had and fashioned a new business plan: be a big enough threat to Starbucks that they have no choice but to buy us out. In July of 2003 Starbucks bought out Seattle’s Best for $72 million dollars. Cha-ching!

Read full story • Comments { 4 }

What are you afraid of?

by on Feb, 21, 2012 in Motivational

Al Neuharth ~ American News Entrepeneur and Founder of USA Today

You can’t live in fear and run a business; it just doesn’t compute. On the other hand you shouldn’t be all that comfortable either. If you aren’t taking chances, be it trying to grow your company, improve your products and services or challenging the people you work with to be better then you’re doing it all wrong.

Put yourself out there, even if only a little bit. Sitting there on your easy chair may make you fat, but it won’t make you happy.

So get up! Stop being afraid to fail; stop being comfortable and start pushing yourself harder than you have before. Expect new. Settle for nothing less than greatness. Set your sights on better and be it!

For more reading on Al Neuharth. For daily banter and tips find me on Facebook.

Read full story • Comments { 6 }

It’s a Hard Doc Life…

by on Feb, 12, 2012 in Business Basics

What is Doc Life? It’s not just for doctors, although it can be a little more strict there… but Doc Life is what I call the ‘rules of the professional road’. It’s the what you can, what you can’t and what you’d better not f’n think about doing.

A great deal of what I have learned about being a professional stems from my time serving as the right hand muscle of the United States, also known as the Marine Corps (can I get an oorah!), and one of my favorite books: Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun.

This is my scaled down manifesto of covering your ass so that no one else has to.

#1 Be You But Not You

Sorry, but you are no longer the goofy, beer-swigging, tattooed pirate you were in college. All that shit is either in your past, or shared with close friends and family. You can have those thoughts… “you call THAT a keg stand?!”… but not act upon them.

You don’t have to poo-poo actions and activities that other’s participate in (because wet T-shirt contests are awesome), but instead be acutely aware of your own actions, public statements and attire as if you were being judged by them- simply because you are.

#2 Don’t Screw Up. But If You Do…

While it’s more than okay to have flaws, you may want to be careful of flaunting them. Whether you’re the company boss or the town doc, it’s oft times better to leave more to mystery and intrigue than it is to hanging your stained boxers on the neighbor’s fence.

Try keeping your personal misgivings to yourself as a manner of habit. If you make a professional mistake, own up to it versus hiding behind a superiority complex.

#3 Keep Your Friends Out of the Loop

Just because you and the neighbor are bosom buddies right now doesn’t mean you always will be. Of course everyone needs an outlet for the crap they go through at the top, but this ain’t it. My suggestion is to find a small group of like-minded, similarly poised professionals to pitch your bitches to. Whether over cocktails once a month, or walking around the track on a Sunday morning, it can be highly satisfactory if not informative and enriching. The point to take home is that not everyone who is your friend today will continue to be your friend tomorrow.

What do you think are the most important things to do to maintain your professionalism in the community? Do you agree? Disagree? I’m all ears!

Read full story • Comments { 2 }

You Asked for This!

by on Jan, 28, 2012 in Harsh Reality

When you decide to step in the ring you can't complain about getting hit.

Facebook. Oh my holy hell.

As with most people out there I use Facebook for a variety of reasons, most of which are about connecting with other people: friends, relatives, Marine Corps brothers and sisters, and even other professionals.

Professionals. HA!

For the past week I’ve been watching a group of professionals whine and complain about their education, the cost of their training, and a lack of a spontaneous ability to run a business.

What universe are these people from?

In my world most of the people who do what I do work for themselves. There are no jobs for us Acu Docs. We go to school where they teach us just enough to not fuck people up, charge us exorbitant sums of money and then send us out into the world unprepared for the cruelty of the business world.

SO WHAT!

Why the hell does anyone think that being your own boss is suddenly going to be easy because you’ve heard of one or two people being super successful? And why the hell is this medical profession supposed to be any different than the others out there? As if the average, run-of-the-mill attorney has it better?

I’m sorry, but if you’ve made a decision to learn a trade, and you go into that decision with the full understanding that you’re most likely going to end up starting your own business then you have zero right to bitch!

Being your own boss isn’t easy. You are basically signing on for 24/7 work weeks. There is no promise of vacation, sick time, or FMLA. If you get hurt, you aren’t working. If you take a day off, you aren’t making money. This is how it goes.

You have agreed to be responsible for all the bills, all the progress and most certainly all of the failures. Your abundance or lack of clients rests solely on your shoulders and no one else. At the end of the day you have only yourself to blame or thank. This is how it goes!

But I suppose it’s easier to just sit there and complain about the fact that your school didn’t provide you a doctorate in business while they were training you in your actual chosen profession.

The ones who truly make it in this world of the small business owner are the entrepreneurs who try hard, fall harder, learn from their mistakes and keep on pressing. They don’t sit on the sidelines licking their wounds and baying at the moon for the sake of its existence. They never give up, never quit and never, ever blame someone else.

So please, in the name of all that is holy… quit yer bitchin’. The broken record of your sob story only serves to make you sound more pathetic, and is more than likely the number one reason you aren’t ready to do this.

On the other hand, if you’re done whining pull up your big girl panties, put on some steel-toed boots and start kicking some ass!

Nobody, not one person has ever said this was supposed to be easy.

Read full story • Comments { 2 }

Layin’ Down the Law

by on Jan, 25, 2012 in Harsh Reality

Just in case you forgot

After an initial six months playing around with Eric Says I think it’s time to establish some ground rules. Perhaps rules is too strong a word to describe what I’m looking for here. What I am trying to do is be up front with you, my readers, about my intentions, communication and availability.

The first rule of Fight Club is you don’t talk about fight club! ~Tyler Durden

So without any further procrastination, let’s push this monkey out of its cage.

#1. I am not here to give out hugs and teddy bears.

While I have a few emotions, most will never see the light of day. Add to this that it’s pretty much impossible to hurt my feelings, I will state for the record that I don’t have time for bullshit. If you are a Sally McSissy-Pants who is easily offended, better pack up your shit and walk away now. Telling me I upset you because I said weird practitioners are a turn-off to patients doesn’t do anything but solidify my position. I would add to this that if you feel the need to tell me that you aren’t weird, well… you figure it out.

Just remember, this is Eric Says, not Eric Tells You What You Want to Hear.

#2. This is not my day job.

Most of my time is spent as a doctor doing doctor things with other doctors. I do this other stuff after I take off my cape and tights (OK, sometimes I keep the tights on… they make my legs feel tingly).

My daytime habits therefore may impact the frequency of my posts and may slow down how quickly I can jump on emails. This leads me directly into…

#3.  Sending me an email does not supersede rule #2. 

I  love the fact that my writing is generating as much interest as it has, and that has turned into digital communication from all kinds of business people with personal situations to be investigated. Problem is I’m getting tens of hundreds of these emails a week and they all deserve careful consideration and patient, well thought out answers. If you can be a little patient with me chances are you’ll end up getting free advice that you can use to see your problem through.

#4. Stop asking me how much I’m going to charge you.

There are no hidden costs or charges. I am not coming to your house to reposess your brain after we talk! I’m doing this because I truly have some knowledge and skills to share and am willing to give it.

The problem becomes evident with rule #2. Since I cannot guarantee speedy attention (or that I will actually give two shits and a lollipop sundae about your problem) I just don’t feel right charging for it.

That being said, if you really, really, really feel like saying thank you then I prefer the reposado Hornitos.

#5. The more you interact openly the more you’re going to get out of this experience! 

I realize that most of us are afraid or embarrassed to admit our pitfalls, mistakes and struggles. However, I have places to comment both here and on Facebook.  You are not only more likely to get a comment from me, but get some damned good input from the other business people who are popping up left and right. While this forum IS Eric Says, I don’t always have the best or only answer.

This is probably a great place to indicate that thinking you’re getting away from the public spotlight by sending me an email is, in fact, wrong. In point of fact most emails are quickly added into my fodder for writing folder!

OK, that about covers it. I do have to say that most of the interactions I’ve had have been very satisfactory to both myself and the people I’ve worked with. As with everything, however, there are always a few jackasses.

And now we’re clear.

It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything. ~Tyler Durden

Read full story • Comments { 2 }
Older Entries »