In a magazine I was reading to pass the time before I could use my computer on the airplane after take-off, I ran across this ad for the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. It was the two-word headline that caught my eye: Superiority Complex.
Claiming to be superior is so un-PC these days. And while claims of superiority to other chiropractors or other methods is often specifically restricted by your state’s chiropractic licensing statutes, I don’t think that’s the source of the mousey, demure and inferiority complex that is so common among chiropractors. Some suggest it’s the result of rampant low self-esteem. I agree. However, we might part company about how to escape from this perceptual imprisonment.
Self-esteem is what we think of ourselves. The danger is when we allow others to affect our self-perception. A patient praises you and you’re “up.” Later, a different patient expresses disappointment with their care and you’re “down.” You create this emotional roller coaster by allowing outside forces to shape your perception of yourself. To remain “up,” you develop an appetite for appreciation and admiration. This outside-in influence (like most outside-in factors) requires constant refueling, or the positive effect wears off. That’s the trap.
If your self-esteem needs some bolstering, I can’t help you. That would simply be one more outside-in attempt. However, you may want to consider these two factors:
1. Know your purpose. Ultimately, you have an audience of one to please: God. Playing small or considering yourself insignificant is an affront to Him. You know the truth about the nature of real health and have valuable adjusting skills known to just a handful on the planet. You’ve been given a huge responsibility to be the flag bearer for the truth. For this reason alone, chiropractors should be among the most certain and confident—bordering on arrogant, healers on the planet!
2. Accomplish difficult things. High levels of self-esteem are produced by successfully facing and completing difficult tasks. Taking the path of least resistance won’t do. Become a public speaker. Take on a specialty. Convert to a cash practice. Learn a technique outside your current model of chiropractic. Ask parents to bring their children in to be checked. Let that staff member go who is slowing you down. Write a book. Volunteer to serve. Have that difficult conversation you’ve been putting off. Set higher standards. Become a better listener. Get up 20-minutes earlier. Face your fears.
Chiropractors will never top the heroic measures that save lives in a hospital emergency room. And medical doctors will never deliver true health care by relying on the blunt instruments of drugs and surgery. These outside-in approaches are egotistical and will ultimately bankrupt our nation. Yet, both medicine and chiropractic have a purpose and a place. But comparing one with the other is as foolhardy as comparing the Las Vegas Bellagio with your hometown Marriott, simply because each offers overnight accommodations.