Dr. Margolies Page 1 From: Dr. Margolies Keys Keys .. how many do you have? The other day, I marveled at Willie, a patient who places two sets of multiple keys on the chair prior to his adjustment. „Willie,¾ I said, „do you know where all those keys go to?¾ He knew, as you do .. where each of your keys belong. But, have you ever thought about keys, as it relates to chiropractic? Probably not. But .. think about the purpose of keys .. are they intended to keep people in ... or keep people out? Have you given the office keys to your patients .. your community. Are you letting them in .. or keeping them out? I went over office and community workshops to my class the other day. I had a number of slides which I purchased many years ago. These slides which were as good as any .. are mixed and matched for a variety of workshops .. and have been a set of my keys for many years. Looking through my archives, I found another set of slides that I purchased as far back as 1988 .. concerning the reality and predicament of our health care delivery system .. over-medication .. abundance of surgery .. distortion of values, etc. I never damn the M.D. .. ... I may praise their intent .. but guide my patients in a new direction. These slides and the others I showed the class were an eye opener .. the keys to a person¼s body and soul. I¼ve used these in the past to open doors to many people ... give them the truth and they shall act accordingly. Don¼t spare the word and never curse the darkness ... just never stop telling the story! So ... I recommend you look and see which doors have keys and which doors need to be open. Which are meant to keep people out and which to bring them in. Which doors stifle practice growth .. referrals and new patients .. and which open the door and hearts of those you meet and greet. Which doors are closed and prevent patient¼s from following through, and which are open to re- activate those you left behind. Which doors are closed to staff growth and completeness and which are open for your staff to focus their purpose and goals. Unless you know which keys are for which door, you¼ll never be master of your keys. Considering this concept one step further .. what have you been doing lately about finding a new set of keys for those doors that have been closed for years. Look around ... are there areas within your professional and personal life that stifles your existence? Are there people and/or things that create havoc rather than allow you to go with the flow? Can you approach a patient this very moment and ask them if they can describe what chiropractic is .. what an adjustment does .. what is a subluxation? Can you approach your staff this very moment and ask them to describe your office purpose .. their purpose .. the purpose of chiropractic .. or the questions to the patients a sentence ago? These are the keys to both professional and social success. A willingness to follow through .. a willingness to crawl through passages and open it wider to capture the essence of your community .. Wellness and Health. But .. be sure that once you own these keys you make sure it¼s one way ... opens only ... never closes. Dr. M