are You wasting Money????

9:00 PM
Wednesday
Temecula, CA 92593

Hey there.

Here's something I received today.

Let me know what you think.

I thought I'd just share it with you.


Dear Dr. Carney,

How do you get people to respond to ads, flyers, etc.?

I've tried promoting my office with ads and flyers

and I haven't gotten any response.

What am I doing wrong?

Gail, Seattle, WA


Dear Gail,

If you use your marketing pieces to simply promote your
business, you're going to continue getting very little response
if any.


People aren't interested in the doctors that provide the
services they buy. They're ONLY interested in what those services
can do for them. It's the old WIIFM thing. What's In It For Me.


There's a good chance that you are leaving out the most important
element of your marketing pieces -- an OFFER.

An "over the top" OFFER, because

--Without An Offer --

There Is Going Be... No Response


Most business owners don't make an offer in their marketing pieces.
Instead they focus on telling people about their business, or about
the service they are selling and hope that when they do what everyon
else is doing, it's going to magically change their bottom line.

It won't.

There may be a phone number and address at the bottom of the marketing
piece -- but if there's no offer, don't expect much. In fact, most
doctors don't

know what a compelling offer really is or how to even write one.

Do you?
As I said, "Without an offer - nothing happens."

And don't get me wrong. I've written articles, ads, fliers, and inserts
before and left out the OFFER. End result.

Zip. Zero. Nothing happened.

Think about this too.

Imagine arriving at a cocktail party and the hostess greets you when you
walk in the door, and immediately begins talking to you about about the
weather, your girlfriend, the stock market, or the party itself.

Believe it or not, she hasn't made YOU an offer, so you have no decision
to make.

But suppose the hostess makes an offer as soon as you walk in the front door, by saying,

'Would you like something to drink? If you get something to drink within the next 20 minutes,you have a chance at winning the red Ferrari sitting over there that Dr. Carney is giving away tonight at midnight?'


Now you have to make a decision because a very specific offer has been made and there is a deadline.

-----------------------
You'd be crazy to turn that offer down.
-----------------------

By making an offer you force your prospects to make an immediate decision --
either they will accept your offer and take action, or they will decline
your offer and NOT take action... at that particular time.

They are saying, "I don't want what you're offering right now."

I may take you up on it later, but for right now, I'm not interested.

"Most small business ads and other marketing pieces never make an offer --
and... that's why they get very little response.


If you want to start getting maximum response to your marketing efforts,
make sure you always make an offer. A Real Offer.


What Kinds of Offers Can You Make?


1. There are offers to attract new prospects.
-- You can offer a free report, brochure, info-pak, newsletter, a chance to win a year's worth of care, etc.


I know one savvy doctor who offers a FREE Welcome Kit and FREE Newsletter
to attract interested prospects to his business. By doing this he has grown
his prospect lists for his two businesses and generates nearly a half a million
dollars in sales each year, almost on auto pilot.

2. There are offers to get people to try your services before they sign up
for a care plan. The more people who try your service, the more people will buy.

-- You can offer a free sample, demonstration or session, just as long as it's
somewhat compelling.

A kettle corn vendor at a festival had a big sign 'offering' free samples o
their product. Many of the people who tried a sample, got in line and bought
a large bag.

Their sample 'OFFER' was a huge success.

3. There are offers to get people to buy your services.
-- You can offer prospects or current patients your services at full price or
you can sweeten the offer with a NICE discount or a cool bonus.

You see this type of offer everywhere.

It works best when your prospects or customers already know, like and trust
you and your chiropractic business.

Secret Tips for Making Offers That Get Action

-- Put your offer in your headline so your prospects or patients can see it immediately.

-- Make your offer easy to understand.

-- Make your offer specific, not vague or general.

-- Tell your prospects exactly what they must do to take advantage of your offer.

-- Sweeten your offer by adding a special incentive for acting today.

-- Give them several ways to respond. By phone, by mail, by fax, by web site, e-mail, etc.

-- Put a deadline on your offer, so your prospects must take action now. If they put it off, they will surely forget about it.

Making appropriate and irresistible offers is essential to attracting maximum prospects and patients to your office.

Remember, without an offer, nothing happens.

Dr. Carney

Dig Deep... it's Christmas... You'll see!

From: Dr. Carney
11:11 AM
Wednesday

I've got to tell you, it's beautiful here in California.

I loveit.

Here's something for you to dig deep into this week.

This comes from one of my closest friends who's a copywriter.

I think you'll like what you're about to read... if you're
a marketer.

"Whenever I start working with a new client, we put a significant
amount of our time into the positioning of them in the market
place. We want to make sure they know where they stand in the
buyers eyes, and what makes them the one and only choice in a
competitive situation.

It isn't simple.

Most entrepreneurs want to be everything to everyone... but we all
know that strategy is doomed to fail.

So what does work?

How do you reposition yourself in the market?

How do you find the 'thing' that puts you heads and tails above
the others?

Here are 4 strategies that may help you get clear:

1. Pick on the competition... blatantly! This is the exact
strategy that Avis took when they wanted to go head to head
against Hertz. The whole "we're #2. We try harder." Approach
worked like wildfire for Avis.

They turned their competitors main advantage (being #1) into a
David vs. Goliath approach. And people ate it up.

This approach works just as well today, maybe even better, than
it did then.

People mistrust big corporations more. They want specialized
attention. They like dealing direct with the owner(s). They like
the TLC they can get from the smaller guys... so give it to them.

Don't try and hide from the competition... make the competitions
so-called 'advantages' into a disadvantage.


2. Big benefit. Is there one thing you can do or provide that
makes the entire investment in your product or service seem
minuscule?

If you look at the big picture... is there one thing about your
product or services that justifies the price every single time?
Compared to your competition? Or are they saying the same thing?

There is almost always something there for you; it just takes
some digging on your part.

One of my clients in the adventure business mentioned quietly
one of his 'hobbies' that he loves. He then went on to tell me
that: no where else in the world can you do this, it really is
possible (most people think it is only done in the movies),
people have paid him BIG dollars to tag along side him for this,
and that it only happens once a year.

Can we say ca-ching?

Major opportunity there that we can use as his big benefit.
Being a part of his other program can guarantee you a spot in
this... and there is no other way possible to get the chance to do
it... other than join.

There is a major benefit to joining him, if you are the right
type of person who is wealthy and passionate about getting a
serious adrenaline rush. And there are lots of those out there
that would LOVE to do this with him.


3. Your buyers. Who are they and what makes them, specifically,
different than other buyers? Going back to standard customer
research... you must know your buyers better than anyone else does.

You need to know: what they think about, what they worry about,
what foods they eat (and hate), what their drink of choice is,
what books they read (and how often), what movies they watch,
what hobbies they have, what their biggest dreams are, and what
their grandest desires are.

Not an easy task.

But imagine what power you hold when you do!

Going back to the 80/20 rule... how does it apply to your buyers?
Your top 20% of buyers... what do you know about them?

How can you find more of just that 20%? What about the 20% of
those 20%?

What makes them different? You can redesign an entire business
around the strategy of selling to a VERY specific business. And
you should!

This is an easy way to grow your profits rapidly, while making
your marketing much more targeted and focus on a very specific
person (which makes it much easier to find the marketing media to
reach them)


4. Picking on the problem. I have another client who is a
traditional MD, but she has changed her focus to the more natural
ways to help the body inside and out.

Her biggest pet peeve right now?

Flu vaccinations. We are right in the middle of the
immunization drive to get everyone and their dog into the doctors
for a flu shot. People are panicking about the N1H1 hype.

And she is PO'd.

Did you know that flu shots use formaldehyde? The exact same
ingredient that is used to preserve DEAD BODIES?

Yup, little Johnny there is getting a flu shot and injected with
embalming fluid at the same time.

Not quite what you thought would be in the flu vaccine?

Well it is.

And when my client makes a stand against the traditional medical
establishment and the ridiculous things they do, claiming it is
for your 'health', people pay attention.

People are mortified when they realize how little they know
about these shots the medical authorities are putting in your
body. They have assumed, until now, that the medical community
was acting in their best interest.

Once their eyes are open to the real problem, the real
underlying issue that no one else is talking about... my doctor
client has their attention.

She is seeing record sales this year (in a private clinic... much
rarer in Canada than the US).

There is good reason why: she picked on the real problem (lack
of real education about the traditional medical 'cures'), and is
guiding her clients and prospects to a much more educated and
intelligent way of deciding who is injecting what into your baby
girls blood.

These are 4 simple strategies that might get you thinking.

Pick one - and find some ways to make it fit your business.

The economy is still sluggish in many parts...
but the signs are picking up and people are spending more.

Are you preparing yourself to tap into it?

Or are you hoping and praying that when people start buying
again, they are waiting with credit cards in hand to buy from
your same old pitch you have always used?

Maybe it's time to invest some brain power on a new strategy for
the remaining month in 2011 and to kick start 2012?

Don't wait... get busy!"

He makes some good points.

Points that apply to doctors as well as an antique
dealer. You see, anyone can apply this, if they just
THINK.

PS: I have a VERY unique and powerful done-for-you marketing
system that is ready.

If you have ever struggled getting enough consistent marketing materials
in front of your clients and prospects, this is definitely for you.

If you have ever thought "these marketing ideas are great...but I just don't
have enough time to get it all done"... this is exactly what you need.

If you want to make a BIG impact this Christmas and heading into the
New Years, and think the idea of a done-for-you marketing campaign
sounds ideal to you.... this is for you.

The best part?

The price.

Less than the price of a good night on the town.

Don't let the price fool you though...

...this has never been done before this way.

I write the copy.

You send it to your leads and prospects.

Full details we can discuss if you are serious.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time
... you know I don't hype things up.

This is the real deal and can attract you much better clients,
patients, buyers, customers, and repeat sales.

But you need to be serious about working with me.

Let me know.

The Four "P's" of SUCCESS

Recently I was reading an outstanding article that gave me some good insight into business success. I was also listening to some great stuff on how to become the greatest salesman alive. Pretty interesting. I not only ordered the book, I ordered the cassette tapes and the iPad version, so I could read it over and over again. If you read the book I'm reading, you'll know why I'm doing this.

Anyway, the article talked about the fact that all successful businesses have several things in common and I'm always looking for clues. Everyone knows that there are 2 key ingredients a company has to have in order to be successful: a good product and excellent customer service.

However, the article went on to point out that if you could focus on four particular areas of your business, you would be in a better position for success. Now I said focus. That means real focus. So I'm going to tell you about those four areas you need to focus on.

The researchers found that all successful businesses had four things in common. Not only do I like it when information is clear and simple, I also like it when it is easy to remember. That's why I'm putting it here on this blog.

The researchers narrowed down the success of companies to 4 P's.

1. Power - This has to do with knowing where you're headed in your business. If you are going to sell chiropractic, then you need to have a plan to market it. Success doesn't happen by accident! It requires thoughtful planning and commitment. It's true that almost every company makes adjustments along the way, but you must be crystal clear as to what you are all about and the direction in which you want to move. I once read a simple sentence that I think says it all: "The people who first climbed Mt. Everest didn't do so by simply going for a 'stroll' one day in the mountains!" You have to know where you are headed and take the necessary steps to have power and control in order to succeed.

2. Positioning - This has to do with having good connections. We have all heard that it isn't so much what you know as who you know. We all need to be well connected. We need to be acquainted with people who can help us move ahead in what we are doing. No man (or woman) is an island unto themselves. I know that there are people that believe they are, but I'm here to tell you, they are NOT.

Someone once said that the most important thing in life is having good relationships. I totally agree with that. It's tough to find those relationships, but that's the real deal. By having good relationships and connections with people, you can be in a position to succeed much faster.

How many times have you either recommended a good business to a friend of yours or had a good business recommended to you by someone else? That is what positioning is all about. It is having good connections in order to help one another on a daily basis. I can honestly say that almost everything that has happened to me and my business is because of GOOD connections. And I have to be honest, they're only getting better.

3. Polite - This has to do with customer service. Although it is a "no-brainer", we sometimes forget that in business, everything rises or falls on customer service. I have said it before, and I will say it again, if you write down the names of ten businesses that you pass on your ride down the street, ten years from now seven of those businesses will be closed and only three will be left! The seven that fail will likely do so because of poor customer service and the three that remain open will succeed because of good customer service. That's what it means to be polite, to care, and to have an attitude of cooperation and kindness to your patients.

I've been in businesses that are so terrible at customer service, I'm surprised that they're still open. They don't GIVE me anything to RAVE about except the TERRIBLE service and that's NOT really going to build any type of relationship.

4. Performance - This has to do with knowing what you are doing. In other words, if you are not clear on what you are trying to accomplish, you will lose your way and it will not be long until you are totally lost. I sometimes think that performance is the most difficult aspect of business because it is so easy to get distracted by every opportunity that comes along. Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but to be successful, you must be clear about what are doing and do it day in and day out, with excellence.

In the past, I have been distracted by many different endeavors, but from now on, I am focused on one thing: helping people understand their personality style in order to build better teams and create better relationships. That is what I WANT to be all about - nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else!

I want to know what I am doing and continue to learn how to do it better every day.

There you have it!

Those are the four keys to building a successful business: Power, Positioning, Polite, and Performance. Are you excelling in each of those four areas?

More than likely, one or two of those topics are strong points for you and maybe a couple of other points need improvement.

I have made a 3 x 5 card with those words printed on it and keep it where I can see it often. It helps center me and allows me to stay focused on what I am doing every day. I would suggest you do the same thing.

You won't be sorry. I can guarantee you that!

Ask any successful person you know about these four key traits.

See what they say.

Now go and do likewise!

Dr. Carney

PS I am not that great a writer and I'm not a great copywriter, but I am a person that can share things with you and this is one of those things I would like to share with you.

Hi,

Here's your story for Saturday,
November 26, 2011

It's 12:08 right now, so I'm going to
get out of here pretty quick and I want
you to have something to chew on.

I don't want to bother you, just want
to keep you focused.

Earlier this week, I had a consultation
with a doctor who was quite successful
in generating leads, but had a hard time
converting those leads into paying, staying
and referring patients.

You know this problem is rampant with a lot
of doctors right now.

So you're probably asking yourself,, "What was
his problem Dr. C and what did you do for him?"

It's really very simple.

He'd take the initial inquiry and then send them
a special report.

And perhaps follow up with a telephone call if
he could get through to them. And sometimes he
wouldn't because he couldn't find anyone that
he could outsource this too.

Ok, I can hear you saying "Well Dr. Carney, isn't
that what most people do? What's wrong with that?
I mean don't you send them something and if they
don't respond, you just drive on?"

Well, there's actually a lot wrong with that.

I'll try and explain it to you now.

Think about this for a moment: He was spending on average,
around $50-$100 or more, to generate a single lead. I mean
if he runs an AD, and he pays $800, and he generates one
new patient, he might make anywhere from $400 extra to $2,000
dollar extra, depending on his fees and adjustment schedule.

But get this.

Once he'd generated the lead, he was spending a couple of
bucks to send out his report (which I didn't write because he
did not want to spend the $900 for me to write it) and this
little bit of information that he sent them told them about
his location, and what he did.

Not really something you want to send out, but most doctors
don't have a clue how to market themselves.

That is a waste of two things.

Money and time.

Here's what I'd suggest any doctor in this situation
to do:

Set up a (minimum) 3-step series of letters where you
send one letter today, another letter in 10 days, and the final
letter 10 days later. (If you're really good, you'd send a
letter to them, every 10 days, until they die or tell you
to stop.)

What are you really achieving by doing this, every time you
get a LEAD?

First, by investing an extra $4 per prospect on average (2
additional mailings if you just do the minimum) you've managed
to put your sales message across to your potential patient,
three times instead of ONE.

That's huge.

Hmmm, not a bad way to look at it if you know why you're
doing it.

So in this scenario...

1 contact costs you $52.00 if it cost you $50 for the lead,
and $2 for the follow up letter.

3 contacts costs you $56.00 if it costs you $2 per additional
letter mailed.

So by spending an additional 7% on each prospect, $4 bucks, you
now have communicated with the prospect 300% more times.

Wow. Bet you didn't think of it that way did you?

Make sense?

Sure, writing a 3-step sequence of sales letters costs you
time and money.

And when it comes to cost. If you factor in a copywriter like
me, for a 3-step sequence I'd have to charge you an additional
$997, and that's a steal if you check around on what copywriters
charge. Most are around $2,500 - $4,000 just to do three letters.

I bought a Ebook and it was all about postcards and marketing with
postcards. What surprised me was this woman, the author who wrote the
ebook was charging a minimum of $900 for ONE POSTCARD. And the prices
went up from there for postcards, so you get what you pay for.

Yeah you can write the letters yourself, and you might get some leads,
but isn't it important that you get as many new patients per letter
as you can?

I mean you're going to save a ton of money if you have the
right letters, at the right time, to the right market.

Obviously you need to get organized, and cannot be 'flying by the seat
of your pants' if you want real results - but if you can contact a lead
300% more times for 7% in additional costs, it's WORTH the effort, isn't it?

After all, your prospect may be contacting a number of your competitors...
trying to decide whether to go with you or someone else. Or may just be
busy with life, have seen your ad, received your first letter... filed it
away... laid it down, put it some place where they can't remember they put
it, or just forgotten about it completely.

Have you ever done this yourself? Laid something down and can't find it?

Sure you have.

We all have.

The key to success in any endeavor, including chiropractic is:

Drum roll please...

"Persistence"

Yeah "Persistence."

As Calvin Coolidge said, "Nothing in the world will take the
place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men
with talent: genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a
proverb. Education alone will not: the world is full of educated
derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

And marketing is no different.

Providing you're attracting the right type of clientele (who are part
of your target market) you should persist in making multiple contacts
with your potential patients until they beg you to stop sending them
letters and postcards.

Few people will do it, so when you stay in contact, you'll stand
heads and shoulders above your competition. Seriously. Most doctors,
I'd say 97%, don't know what I'm telling you in this little email.

And more importantly, you'll make alot more money, just sending out
letters.

It's Saturday. I know you're busy, but if you know me, I try and
provide you with all the necessary components you need to become more
successful. I just thought you'd like to know the little things that make
a BIG difference in your practice.

Remember. Little hinges swing BIG DOORS.

Let me know if this helps and if you like my emails.

Warmly,

Dr. Carney

P.S. These emails are not meant to take up your valuable time
but to give you focus so you're thinking MARKETING, even when you
don't want to think about MARKETING. Be good, be SAFE, and make sure
you're referring more clients who really want to make a difference
in their practice.

P.P.S. I'm thinking about in January of 2012 going up $100
to any NEW doctor, as I'm coming up with some new ideas that no
one has ever seen, so if you know anyone that NEEDS to get on board,
make sure you send them an email or call them. They'll grow and make
their money back 10 times over, so get them tuned in. It'll even
SAVE them money over the year, so make it happen.

And I'm Valued.... Are You?

November 25, 2011
11:59 PM
PST
Temecula, CA 92593

Hey I've got to tell you.

I'm a sensitive man.

I love a good story.

I believe in a good story.

And I know one when I see one.

I'm going to leave it up to you
but you should check this little video
out.

If you don't think it's motivational?

if you don't think it's one of the
best YouTube videos ever, then send me
an email and I'll delete you as a guest
as that shows me you have no heart.

Okay, with that said, and you getting the
message, go watch this eight minute video
now.

You won't be sorry you did.



Dr. Carney

PS If you want more of these let me know.

I'm always looking for something new.

Something that has real value.

Dr. Carney

Here it is a different way.

It's a Beautiful Day, are you marketing the right way?

6:55 AM
Monday
November 21, 2011

Well I think I crashed after the long road
trip from L.A. back home.

When you spend 6 months getting ready for
a two day event, it kind of sucks the winds
out of your sails, in more ways than one.

Anyway, I get up this morning and a good friend
of mine from KS sends me this YouTube video.

I'd heard about it before, but I didn't know
what it was all about.

Well he was right.

His headline was: "A different way to market."

Anyway, it's the power of words.

Watch it and let me know what you think.

http://youtu.be/CoUyl6McNEQ

Dr. Carney

PS If you're not sending more people to this FREE
BLOG, why not. I'm not charging a single penny for
this information and you're not helping me. Send me
some referrals. I don't know what's up with you, but
I want referrals and I want some help from you so I
can grow this blog. Thanks again.

Do You Value Your Life and Life Itself?

Tuesday post
1:52 PM

I must be a little sentimental, but this
is an important post for me.

I was surfing the internet today and I
ran across something that I wanted to
share with you.

It's not some sales pitch or anything like
that, and it's something that impacted me.

I love the story this woman tells.

She was told by her doctors that she could
not have any children. When you watch the
video you'll understand the real value of
family and what it means to me.

I love what I do, I love working with you
and I just want you to know that you are a
special part of my life. When I saw this video
I thought of you, and the time we
spend together.

Remember...

Always value your health.

It's your most important asset and this video
shows you in a short 4 minute video what I want
and try to tell all my friends who are patients.

You included.



Take the time to watch the video.

You'll think differently about life, and your
values - once you've watched this video.

I wish you the best and you be safe.

http://youtu.be/pb9h__BgZz0

Thanks for being a part of my life.

Dr. Carney

THE PERFECT ELEVATOR PITCH

Thursday
7:45 AM
Temecula, CA 92593

I don't know if you know what an elevator pitch is, but when I started learning about marketing, I didn't and in fact I just learned what it was a few years ago, like two or three.

Anyway...

An "elevator pitch" is a 30-second answer to the question, "What
do you do?" that a lot of people ask you when you're at a party,
on a plane, in an elevator, etc.

"So what." you're saying? Why is that important to me?

Well, you need an elevator pitch because the question "What do you
do?" is usually asked by complete strangers in casual
circumstances, like I said.

In these situations, you do not have a captive audience watching
you go through your PowerPoint sales presentation.

So your answer must be pithy and to the point.

Why does it matter how you answer the question "What do you do?"
when speaking to someone you don't know? I mean who cares, right?

Well, no that's the wrong attitude.

Think more new patients, more new clients, or more new customers.

Because you never know when the person you're speaking to is a
potential customer, patient, client, or referral source.

YES a referral source.

Most elevator pitches, unfortunately, don't work - because they
are straightforward descriptions of job functions and titles,
generating not much else aside from disinterest and a few yawns.

SIDENOTE: How many times have you practiced your staffs elevator
pitch? I'll bet a hundred bucks... your answer is NEVER!

Well, it's time to change all of that.

For example, a fellow I met at a party told me, "I am a
certified financial planner with more than 20 years experience
working."

Yawn. I'm going to sleep. Come on Mr. Certified Financial Planner,
who really cares if you have 20 years experience?

There is an antidote I've found to the deadly dull elevator pitch.

This is a three-part formula that can enable you to quickly construct
the perfect elevator pitch.

By "perfect," I mean an elevator pitch that concisely
communicates the VALUE your product or service offers - in a
manner that ENGAGES rather than BORES the other person.

So whats the formula? Okay I'm going to give it to you, but I'm
going to charge you $100 for the secret. If you're not going to
send me the hundred bucks, then stop reading right here. This is
the old honor system and I'm going to GIVE it to you first, before
I ask you to send me money.

I trust you.

The first part is to ask a question beginning with the words "Do
you know?"

The question identifies the PAIN or need that your product or
service addresses.

Now let's go back to the Financial Planner example since his was
so good the first time.

For a financial planner who, say, works mostly with middle-aged
women who are separated, divorced, widowed, and possibly
re-entering the workplace, his question might be:

"Do you know how when women get divorced or re-enter the workforce after many years of depending on their spouse, they are
usually overwhelmed by all the financial decisions they have to make"?

The second part of the SECRET ELEVATOR formula is a statement that begins with
the words "What I do" or "What we do" - which is followed by a clear
description of the service you perform or deliver.

So let's continue with our financial planner, so he might say: "What we
do is help women gain control of their finances and achieve
their personal financial, family, and investment goals."

The third and final part of the formula presents a big benefit and begins
"so that."

Now I've learned that if you give people, like you this is sections, then
they might not get it, so, here's what the whole thing sounds like:

WHAT DO YOU DO?

"Do you know how when women get divorced or re-enter the
workforce after many years of depending on their spouse, they are
overwhelmed by all the financial decisions they have to make?

"What I do is help women gain control of their finances and
achieve their personal financial, family, and investment goals, so that
they can stay in the house they have lived in all their lives, if that's
what they choose to do, have enough income to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle
without creating more stress for themselves, and be free of money worries."

Action step: construct your elevator pitch today or tonight
using this SECRET three-part formula. THEN... send it to me at
drroddc@yahoo.com

Okay, this is a marketing blog, so let's review what I just said.

>> First part: ask a question beginning with the words "Do you
know?" that identifies the pain or need that your product or
service addresses.

>> Second part: describe your service, beginning with the words
"What I do" or "What we do."

>> Third part: explain why your service is valuable by
describing the benefits it delivers, beginning with the words
"So that."

Sincerely,

Dr. Carney

P.S.If this is valuable and you've actually taken some action, you might
want to send me your elevator pitch so I can review it. Thanks.

Does This Apply To You? Are You Creative Enough?

A local car wash ran a loyalty program

For every car wash you paid for, you got one stamp on your card.
If you completed eight washes, you got one free wash.

Another set of customers also joined that very same loyalty program.

But they didn't have eight blocks to fill on their card. They had ten
blocks to fill. But there was a difference. The second set of customers
had two stamps already filled for them in advance.

You see what's happening, right?

You do right?

If not, please come back when you do.

Both sets of customers have to fill in the exact same number of
stamps to get the free car wash--namely eight washes. So which group
did better?

Think hard and then... take a guess.

Because unless you know, it's a guess.

Yup, the second group.

In fact 34% of the second group got to their free car wash vs.
just 19% of the first group.

So hopefully you're asking yourself, "why did this happen?"

It's called momentum

And it's a feeling you know exceedingly well. If you have to start
a project, you dilly and you dally. You find every reason to avoid
the project, because starting up is so hard. But once you've got
about 20% of the project going, you feel the wind in your sails and
you move groggily ahead, but at least you're moving.

And this is what resistance hates the most.

It hates momentum, because momentum disregards the temptation to
get easily distracted; it avoids those fervent pleas to just head
to the cafe or do something that's not project-related.

This works with customers and it works with patients. I mean think about
the dynamics.

You get a patient feeling at least 20% better and all of a sudden they
have that magical momentum.

Which is why you need to create momentum both for yourself and your
patients.

Let's start with your Patient. Let's say you want them to do
something really big and momentous.

Where do you start?

You start with the tiny bits.

So tiny in fact, that they're almost impossible to goof up.
(You need to be making notes on this, because this will change
how you look at your patient snd your practice. I don't care if
you're a real estate person, or an antique dealer, this still
applies.)

So let's take an example.

At a Mastermind, we want to create a safe zone as quickly as possible.
But this is difficult if everyone just shows up on the day of the event
itself. Everything is new; everything is different and hence quite
intimidating.

You don't know what to expect.

So we have a meeting and greet session the day before.

What do they have to do for the meet and greet?

Why, nothing other than show up.

That's easy, huh?

So they show up. And they don't show up in their regal outfits.
Everyone's casually dressed. There are no speeches, no notes, no
seats to find, nothing to do but show up.

And when they've shown up, we take them to the room and show them
the room. They get a chance to see where they're sitting. They see
the notes on their desks. And then we have a question session. If
there are any questions, they can get it out of the way. Once
they're done, we suggest they go to dinner together.

So what just happened there?

20% of the safe zone was created BEFORE the workshop began. When
you watch the participants walk in the next day, they're not
frozen. They're laughing, they're joking and they're having a great
time. There's no fear and intimidation. They see some familiar faces
and they know people. They're relaxed. And hence the momentum
towards creating a safe zone is well on its way.

And no matter whether you're in an office setting, or whatever, you can
knock out the resistance simply by getting stamps on their card.

Once the patient gets started, they continue to move along more
efficiently than if they started from zero.

But how do you use this concept for your own goals?

Weight Loss

Let's say you want to lose weight. What do you do? You need to get
20% on your card, right? Well, don't start with this big vigorous
program of losing 50 pounds in weight. Just focus on one thing you are
guaranteed to achieve. E.g. No munching sweets after lunch or
dinner. (One step at a time. Small steps if you will.)

Now this isn't about eating less, or exercising more or doing Zumba
steps. It's just a little something that is almost like cheating.
But it gets the momentum in place. A week of this simple activity
and you're well on your way to getting 20% on your card.

If you're doing chiropractic, give them small steps. You can't save
their lives in one visit. You can't make a huge change in one visit.

But isn't this kinda sneaky, almost like fooling your brain?

Sure it is. But why do you care? You want to get the job done,
don't you? So go ahead and fool their brain, if that's what it
takes. And help your patients fool their brain. If you're running
into patients that won't show up, won't do their assignments at
home, don't implement things on time--then look for the
blockage.

The blockage lies in them having to fill ten stamps on their card,
instead of eight. Are you getting the picture.

How can you fill two stamps in advance?

How can you get the momentum going?

Figure that out, and more patients will get to the finish line
faster than ever before. And ironically, so will you!

Okay Doc, that's it for today.

I think you have plenty to think about now.

I've given you a 20% head start.

Now run with it.

Dr. Carney

What Did I Learn From Steve Jobs

As you probably know, Steve Jobs biography came out last week–all 600+ pages of it. I personally have not read it, but a mentor of mine finished reading it a few days ago.

Here's what he wrote: "His ideas have been floating around in my head and I’ve come up with 5 of his principles that I think you and I could use in our dry cleaning businesses.

But before I get started, I want to warn you, that if you read this book, it’s not all fun and games. He was a weird dude. He could be nice one minute and as nasty as he was nice the next. He had a strange diet and would sometime eat one food for a couple of weeks. And some of these arcane beliefs led to his early death.

It was not easy reading, but I’m a Mac guy and I wanted to find out what was going on in this guys head. So here’s the 5 things I learned from Steve Jobs:

1. The journey is the reward. And he’s right on with this one. It’s not the destination, but the journey that is the most rewarding part of our businesses. You and I are blessed. We are less than 1 in a 100 people that have the privilege of owning our own businesses. We determine the kind of life we want to lead. Some of you might not be doing that right now, but you can get there. I like some of my members do what we want to do every day. So enjoy the journey of owning and running your own business.

2. Focus on only 5 things in your business. When Steve Jobs came back to Apple, it was only months away from bankruptcy. He got rid of every product except for 5 of them. What are you focusing on in your business? What few things can you give all your attention to that will make them shine. Maybe it’s only 3 in your business. Stop going after 20 different things. I will tell you this. When Steve gave a presentation, he always always talked about three things. He kept it simple. Maybe you should do the same.

3. The Reality Distortion Field. This is a made up term from some of Steve’s employee’s. He would twist reality with his products and services (because there was no such product) and convince his team that they could produce them. And because of this, his company has produced some of the most incredible products the world has ever seen. I think this cut down to simple terms means he thought outside his own box. That's what got him where he wanted to be.

4. Market Research. When Steve was asked about market research, he said that how was his customer to know what they wanted. I’d have to show it to them first. Henry Ford said that his customers wanted faster horses, not automobiles. They didn’t know what automobiles were.

5. The devil is in the details. Steve’s name was on over 200 patents having to do with everything from software, hardware and even the glass staircases in his Apple stores. You should be involved in all the marketing for your business, what your quality and appearance is, and what your customer is going to experience from your business. No detail is too small when it comes to these things. I pick out the positive quotes that my customers get on their reminder calls every week. I’m the only one that can do that. I write ALL the advertisement and communication with my customers. Get into the details. If you don't want to do that, you hire me. I'm not cheap, but I'll make you a lot of money.

That’s what I learned from Steve Jobs. If you want to read the book, be my guest. But remember I warned you."

I'm ordering it today. I see if my coach here is right.

If you're smart and you order the book, maybe you can tell me your ideas and we can mastermind.

Talk later.

Dr. Carney

I'm trying...

Hey it's Monday and I love speed.

It's dangerous, but I still love it.

I wrote a pretty good blog already for
the day, so I thought,"Hey, I'm going
to start including a video embedded on
every entry or at least every time I
blog."

So here it is.

If you like speed and you like Ferrari's
you'll love this video.

What's the Best Excuse To Use?

Monday
Blogtime USA
7:39 AM PST

Hey

If you ever needed another good reason or excuse
to exercise, I've got one for you:

Exercise makes your brain bigger.

Actually that statement isn't entirely accurate.

To be more specific, exercise was found to increase
brain size slightly, but far more important to increase
"spatial reasoning."

So what's "spatial reasoning?"

Spatial reasoning is the ability to recognize patterns,
and remember phrases, numbers, and so-on. This was
discovered by researchers at the Universities of Chicago
and Pittsburgh.

It is also one of the most important factors to the prevention
of Alzheimer's and dementia, so it's pretty important.

A mentor of mine told me a story about a woman who suffered
with dementia the last ten years of her life. But unlike most
dementia patients she was fully functional - thanks to exercise.

She drove and had a mind that was unbelievably sharp right up
until an accident injured her beyond the ability to exercise.

After that, she mentally went downhill rapidly.

Thankfully, she passed in peace... and she had ten wonderfully
active years thanks to her willingness to take up weight training
at the young age of 71.

Now she wasn't crazy about doing hours in the gym.

What she did was she eventually walked up to 3 miles per day
and trained in the gym 3 days per week.

That kept her mind sharp. It wasn't a lot, but she was dedicated
to staying as young as she could, for as long as she could. I mean
who wants to be put in a nursing home where all they do is feed you,
make you fat, and you get to sit around and look at eash other?

----------------------
Exercise increases the
QUALITY of your life.
----------------------

Quantity is no where near as important to me as quality, when it
comes to working out and exercising.

All I can say is this. Your brain will thank you, as will the rest of your
body.

One of the best ways to start exercising when you are over 40 is by
walking. It gets you headed in the right direction. Then hit the gym.
Start out with some weight lifting, and just work your way up.

If you want to improve your level of fitness after the age of 40
start exercising, and recommend it for your patients.

If you're doing the weight loss, you should always recommend
walking and some exercise BASED upon the idea that they're
going to avoid Alzheimer's and dementia, so it's not that hard of
a sell.

If you like the idea of natural health, you have to be promoting
weight loss. You can be healthy if you're overweight. Your
patients know that, and that's why when the New Year rolls
around, they're going to be thinking of YOU.

Dr. Carney

It's Friday

Hey

It's Friday.

I'm going to see a show today that I've been
waiting to see.

I'll be leaving here shortly, but I wanted to send
this to you before I left.

I've been working on some really cool promos and I
might even share those with you if you're here on
the next post.

No promises, but I just wanted to get you engaged and
ready.

Here's a video that is only four minutes long.

From a marketing standpoint it's outstanding.

Why?

Because this doctor tells his story.

Listen to it, and learn from it.

both from a natural health aspect and from a
marketers standpoint.

I think you'll like it, and you might even
understand more about what chiropractic really
is.



Let me know.

You can always email me.

ddrroddc@yahoo.com

Dr. Carney

PS Don't forget. You can become more successful
by coaching with me and learning the little tricks that
turn your life into an ATM money making machine, the
right way.

PPS Remember, nurture your patients. They are your life blood.

More next time.

READ THIS... It says alot about Steve Jobs

This was not written by me.

I believe it was written by his sister.

I'm not totally sure on this, but it's worth reading.

----------------------------------------------------------

I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives (and our not yet furnished apartment) and help us. Later, after I’d met my father, I tried to believe he’d changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people.

The Genius of Jobs (October 30, 2011)
Even as a feminist, my whole life I’d been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I’d thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother.

By then, I lived in New York, where I was trying to write my first novel. I had a job at a small magazine in an office the size of a closet, with three other aspiring writers. When one day a lawyer called me — me, the middle-class girl from California who hassled the boss to buy us health insurance — and said his client was rich and famous and was my long-lost brother, the young editors went wild. This was 1985 and we worked at a cutting-edge literary magazine, but I’d fallen into the plot of a Dickens novel and really, we all loved those best. The lawyer refused to tell me my brother’s name and my colleagues started a betting pool. The leading candidate: John Travolta. I secretly hoped for a literary descendant of Henry James — someone more talented than I, someone brilliant without even trying.

When I met Steve, he was a guy my age in jeans, Arab- or Jewish-looking and handsomer than Omar Sharif.

We took a long walk — something, it happened, that we both liked to do. I don’t remember much of what we said that first day, only that he felt like someone I’d pick to be a friend. He explained that he worked in computers.

I didn’t know much about computers. I still worked on a manual Olivetti typewriter.
I told Steve I’d recently considered my first purchase of a computer: something called the Cromemco.

Steve told me it was a good thing I’d waited. He said he was making something that was going to be insanely beautiful.

I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve, during three distinct periods, over the 27 years I knew him. They’re not periods of years, but of states of being.

His full life. His illness. His dying.

Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day.
That’s incredibly simple, but true.

He was the opposite of absent-minded.

He was never embarrassed about working hard, even if the results were failures. If someone as smart as Steve wasn’t ashamed to admit trying, maybe I didn’t have to be.
When he got kicked out of Apple, things were painful. He told me about a dinner at which 500 Silicon Valley leaders met the then-sitting president. Steve hadn’t been invited.

He was hurt but he still went to work at Next. Every single day.
Novelty was not Steve’s highest value. Beauty was.

For an innovator, Steve was remarkably loyal. If he loved a shirt, he’d order 10 or 100 of them. In the Palo Alto house, there are probably enough black cotton turtlenecks for everyone in this church.

He didn’t favor trends or gimmicks. He liked people his own age.

His philosophy of aesthetics reminds me of a quote that went something like this: “Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later.”

Steve always aspired to make beautiful later.

He was willing to be misunderstood.

Uninvited to the ball, he drove the third or fourth iteration of his same black sports car to Next, where he and his team were quietly inventing the platform on which Tim Berners-Lee would write the program for the World Wide Web.

Steve was like a girl in the amount of time he spent talking about love. Love was his supreme virtue, his god of gods. He tracked and worried about the romantic lives of the people working with him.

Whenever he saw a man he thought a woman might find dashing, he called out, “Hey are you single? Do you wanna come to dinner with my sister?”

I remember when he phoned the day he met Laurene. “There’s this beautiful woman and she’s really smart and she has this dog and I’m going to marry her.”

When Reed was born, he began gushing and never stopped. He was a physical dad, with each of his children. He fretted over Lisa’s boyfriends and Erin’s travel and skirt lengths and Eve’s safety around the horses she adored.

None of us who attended Reed’s graduation party will ever forget the scene of Reed and Steve slow dancing.

His abiding love for Laurene sustained him. He believed that love happened all the time, everywhere. In that most important way, Steve was never ironic, never cynical, never pessimistic. I try to learn from that, still.

Steve had been successful at a young age, and he felt that had isolated him. Most of the choices he made from the time I knew him were designed to dissolve the walls around him. A middle-class boy from Los Altos, he fell in love with a middle-class girl from New Jersey. It was important to both of them to raise Lisa, Reed, Erin and Eve as grounded, normal children. Their house didn’t intimidate with art or polish; in fact, for many of the first years I knew Steve and Lo together, dinner was served on the grass, and sometimes consisted of just one vegetable. Lots of that one vegetable. But one. Broccoli. In season. Simply prepared. With just the right, recently snipped, herb.

Even as a young millionaire, Steve always picked me up at the airport. He’d be standing there in his jeans.

When a family member called him at work, his secretary Linetta answered, “Your dad’s in a meeting. Would you like me to interrupt him?”

When Reed insisted on dressing up as a witch every Halloween, Steve, Laurene, Erin and Eve all went wiccan.

They once embarked on a kitchen remodel; it took years. They cooked on a hotplate in the garage. The Pixar building, under construction during the same period, finished in half the time. And that was it for the Palo Alto house. The bathrooms stayed old. But — and this was a crucial distinction — it had been a great house to start with; Steve saw to that.

This is not to say that he didn’t enjoy his success: he enjoyed his success a lot, just minus a few zeros. He told me how much he loved going to the Palo Alto bike store and gleefully realizing he could afford to buy the best bike there.
And he did.

Steve was humble. Steve liked to keep learning.

Once, he told me if he’d grown up differently, he might have become a mathematician. He spoke reverently about colleges and loved walking around the Stanford campus. In the last year of his life, he studied a book of paintings by Mark Rothko, an artist he hadn’t known about before, thinking of what could inspire people on the walls of a future Apple campus.

Steve cultivated whimsy. What other C.E.O. knows the history of English and Chinese tea roses and has a favorite David Austin rose?

He had surprises tucked in all his pockets. I’ll venture that Laurene will discover treats — songs he loved, a poem he cut out and put in a drawer — even after 20 years of an exceptionally close marriage. I spoke to him every other day or so, but when I opened The New York Times and saw a feature on the company’s patents, I was still surprised and delighted to see a sketch for a perfect staircase.

With his four children, with his wife, with all of us, Steve had a lot of fun.
He treasured happiness.

Then, Steve became ill and we watched his life compress into a smaller circle. Once, he’d loved walking through Paris. He’d discovered a small handmade soba shop in Kyoto. He downhill skied gracefully. He cross-country skied clumsily. No more.
Eventually, even ordinary pleasures, like a good peach, no longer appealed to him.
Yet, what amazed me, and what I learned from his illness, was how much was still left after so much had been taken away.

I remember my brother learning to walk again, with a chair. After his liver transplant, once a day he would get up on legs that seemed too thin to bear him, arms pitched to the chair back. He’d push that chair down the Memphis hospital corridor towards the nursing station and then he’d sit down on the chair, rest, turn around and walk back again. He counted his steps and, each day, pressed a little farther.

Laurene got down on her knees and looked into his eyes.
“You can do this, Steve,” she said. His eyes widened. His lips pressed into each other.

He tried. He always, always tried, and always with love at the core of that effort. He was an intensely emotional man.

I realized during that terrifying time that Steve was not enduring the pain for himself. He set destinations: his son Reed’s graduation from high school, his daughter Erin’s trip to Kyoto, the launching of a boat he was building on which he planned to take his family around the world and where he hoped he and Laurene would someday retire.

Even ill, his taste, his discrimination and his judgment held. He went through 67 nurses before finding kindred spirits and then he completely trusted the three who stayed with him to the end. Tracy. Arturo. Elham.

One time when Steve had contracted a tenacious pneumonia his doctor forbid everything — even ice. We were in a standard I.C.U. unit. Steve, who generally disliked cutting in line or dropping his own name, confessed that this once, he’d like to be treated a little specially.

I told him: Steve, this is special treatment.

He leaned over to me, and said: “I want it to be a little more special.”

Intubated, when he couldn’t talk, he asked for a notepad. He sketched devices to hold an iPad in a hospital bed. He designed new fluid monitors and x-ray equipment. He redrew that not-quite-special-enough hospital unit. And every time his wife walked into the room, I watched his smile remake itself on his face.

For the really big, big things, you have to trust me, he wrote on his sketchpad. He looked up. You have to.

By that, he meant that we should disobey the doctors and give him a piece of ice.
None of us knows for certain how long we’ll be here. On Steve’s better days, even in the last year, he embarked upon projects and elicited promises from his friends at Apple to finish them. Some boat builders in the Netherlands have a gorgeous stainless steel hull ready to be covered with the finishing wood. His three daughters remain unmarried, his two youngest still girls, and he’d wanted to walk them down the aisle as he’d walked me the day of my wedding.

We all — in the end — die in medias res. In the middle of a story. Of many stories.
I suppose it’s not quite accurate to call the death of someone who lived with cancer for years unexpected, but Steve’s death was unexpected for us.

What I learned from my brother’s death was that character is essential: What he was, was how he died.

Tuesday morning, he called me to ask me to hurry up to Palo Alto. His tone was affectionate, dear, loving, but like someone whose luggage was already strapped onto the vehicle, who was already on the beginning of his journey, even as he was sorry, truly deeply sorry, to be leaving us.

He started his farewell and I stopped him. I said, “Wait. I’m coming. I’m in a taxi to the airport. I’ll be there.”

“I’m telling you now because I’m afraid you won’t make it on time, honey.”
When I arrived, he and his Laurene were joking together like partners who’d lived and worked together every day of their lives. He looked into his children’s eyes as if he couldn’t unlock his gaze.

Until about 2 in the afternoon, his wife could rouse him, to talk to his friends from Apple.

Then, after awhile, it was clear that he would no longer wake to us.
His breathing changed. It became severe, deliberate, purposeful. I could feel him counting his steps again, pushing farther than before.

This is what I learned: he was working at this, too. Death didn’t happen to Steve, he achieved it.

He told me, when he was saying goodbye and telling me he was sorry, so sorry we wouldn’t be able to be old together as we’d always planned, that he was going to a better place.

Dr. Fischer gave him a 50/50 chance of making it through the night.

He made it through the night, Laurene next to him on the bed sometimes jerked up when there was a longer pause between his breaths. She and I looked at each other, then he would heave a deep breath and begin again.

This had to be done. Even now, he had a stern, still handsome profile, the profile of an absolutist, a romantic. His breath indicated an arduous journey, some steep path, altitude.

He seemed to be climbing.

But with that will, that work ethic, that strength, there was also sweet Steve’s capacity for wonderment, the artist’s belief in the ideal, the still more beautiful later.

Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times.
Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.

Steve’s final words were:

OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.

Mona Simpson is a novelist and a professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles. She delivered this eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs, on Oct. 16 at his memorial service at the Memorial Church of Stanford University.

Just found this and thought I'd share.... enjoy!!!

12:35 PM
Tuesday
time flys....

November 1, 2011

Here's an entry I found and I have to share it
with you since I just deleted one.

The other one was about the GAME, but this one is
good as well. If you missed the last one, shame on
you. If you read it, good for you.

Here's what I found.

It's not about me, but it has some great points.

Enjoy.

--------------------------------------
I’m about to share a very personal experience
with you.

This is not something I’ve always felt comfortable
doing but my hope is that many of you will relate
as well as benefit from some powerful lessons I’ve
recently learned—lessons learned not by choice.

Some months ago I became involved in a relationship.

In spite of my initial hesitation and after being
patiently but ardently pursued by the other person
I slowly let go and began to trust that it could work.

I began to open up to trust and love.

Things seemed to be blossoming until I began to see
subtle signs that he might not be capable of fully
participating in a deeply intimate and emotionally
committed relationship even though he desired it.

Unfortunately I ignored the signs, hoping that maybe
an open two-way communication could resolve the bumps
along the road even though I could feel my serenity
slipping away.

Not long afterward I returned from vacation and found a
message waiting for me in my email inbox from this person
suddenly ending the relationship, and with only a vague
explanation.

Wow.

My immediate reaction was hurt, shock and disappointment
that commitment and trust could be so lightly discarded.

I always like to see the best in people and assume they
will honor the trust you’ve given them, or at least be
able to have an open and honest conversation if they can’t.

However not everyone is capable of this because, let’s
face it, open and transparent communication can be scary
and it takes a certain type of courage.

Most of us have probably been in this place of heartbreak
and sadness but I determined that I would not get stuck there.

I immediately turned to what I call my “transform-it toolkit”.

These are the tools I have mindfully chosen that can create a
true mindset and heart-set shift so I can accept what is, and
create inner change.

Your toolkit can include regular practices that work for you
such as: meditation, prayer, contemplation, nature walks, yoga,
reading inspirational books or scriptures that help you shift,
and powerful conversation with loving, safe, trustworthy and
non-judgmental friends.

Using your toolkit regularly is what keeps you emotionally and
spiritually open to amazing possibilities in your life that
you can’t even imagine because you haven’t experienced them yet.

The purpose of this toolkit is to help lead you quickly toward
healing and toward total honesty with yourself.

You see, it’s easy to get stuck in anger, blame or sadness,
or simply shut off your feelings but I knew that wasn’t where
I wanted to stay because I chose to live in joy.

My toolkit helps me quickly release old pain, anger, shame,
guilt, sadness or indifference and reveal these 4 Big Truths–

1.Everything happens for a reason. Our job is to figure out
the reason and the lesson

2.Everything that happens holds a mirror up to me to show me
where I need to change and be more honest with myself.

It can be hard to swallow and I may chose to ignore it and
stay in my comfort zone, but I do so at the expense of never
knowing deeper love, greater joy or never feeling or experiencing
life fully

3.Each person is at a different place on the path we all travel
toward knowing ourselves fully and being emotionally mature,
open and loving. If we each try to respect where the other is,
then we can let them move at their pace, not ours, even if that
means leaving them behind.

4.I am totally responsible for the life I create and how I react
to every situation that occurs in my life.

So when that unexpected email landed in my in-box signaling the
end of my relationship my first step was to surround myself with
loving, spiritually grounded friends to get some perspective on
the situation.

* What is the reason and what is the lesson?
* Where is the situation a mirror I need to hold up to myself? What judgment have I made of the other (person or situation) that also mirrors something I need to look at in myself?
* How can I accept the other—the person or situation I’ve judged—as being exactly where they are, not where I want them to be?
* How can I surrender the person or situation and let it go with light and love, even when I know it’s not what I would have wished, but it is WHAT IS.
* How can I use this new understanding of myself to transform my life, my situation, my relationships, my business for the better?

Other “tools” that reinforce this work for me are meditation and contemplation.

One of several revelations I had was that I needed to express –and stay grounded in–the essence of who I am more openly and powerfully in my life.

Just like your life, your business is a reflection of you. If your thoughts and beliefs about yourself, your relationships or your situation are limiting; if you are blaming others and not looking in the mirror; if you are hiding from the truth so you don’t have to feel emotional discomfort, then how can you fully express who you are in the world?

So what do you do when you’re hurt, frustrated, stuck or discouraged? You get out your “Transform It Toolkit” and put it to work for you.

And yes, it takes courage, time and patience to be open and vulnerable, to admit mistakes, to change old habits and beliefs that are closing you off from the life you want to live. And this means—to borrow a phrase used by several of my colleagues—you have to put on your Big Girl (or Big Boy) Panties! But you do need to chose—do you want to simply survive or do you want to thrive.

There are some GEMS in this person's thoughts.

I may not agree with all of them, and IF I do, I won't tell you in this blog. I mean, hey some things have to be private. Or I could be crazy and post my life on FACEBOOK. Give me a break.

But with that said, have a GREAT DAY.

Dr. Carney