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One of the gifts my mother handed down to me is the love of reading. She always had a stack of books on the bedside table and was often reading two or three books at a time.
Today, I have accumulated a significant library of books. My subject matter interests include how-to's, positive psychology, self-help, philosophy, motivation, leadership and more. I've actually stopped buying hard copies and often use a Kindle or the Kindle app to store dozens of books in a format that I can have with me anywhere, anytime.
One of my current reads is called Atomic Habits published in 2018 by James Clear.
It speaks of the surprising power of tiny changes and their ability to make big differences. As soon as I read this, I saw an immediate correlation to chiropractic care.
Let me offer a few excerpts.
“Improving by one percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get one percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.”
Sounds like chiropractic care to me. Yes, one adjustment in a lifetime is better than none at all. But if you really want to reap the benefits of chiropractic (maximizing your ability to function in all areas of your life regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms), then consistency is the key. Each adjustment is built upon the previous one. Or as Clear puts it, “What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success.” If you and your family are not getting your spines checked weekly, you are not doing all you can to maximize your human potential.
“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over the months and years can be enormous. It is only when looking back two, five, or perhaps ten years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent.”
So why do we have generations of families having their spines checked weekly for decades? I believe it is because they understand the concept of one percent better.
I am reminded of a quote by Pablo Casals who was the world's greatest cellist during his lifetime. In 1957 at the age of 80, Casals was the subject of a movie short, A Day in the Life of Pablo Casals. The movie's director Robert Snyder asked Casals, "...why he continues to practice four and five hours a day." Casals answered: “Because I think I am making progress.”
“Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy.”
The key to reaping the benefits of chiropractic is consistency. See you on your next visit.
Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (p. 18). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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