Are You Suffering From Energy Drains @ Work?

THE FIRE WITHIN TO CREATE SOMETHING BETTER USED TO BURN ME OUT
There are many times, prior to opening my private health care practice, when I would call out to that higher wisdom to keep my fire down when I really wanted to explode and say "WTF" to a resistant colleague trying to bring me down.  This desire to  curse out another colleague sent me often to a yoga mat to reignite my passion because their narrow view used to burn out my flame. Why the hell could they not see their personal potential? 

MY PERSPECTIVE OF DIRECT ACCESS MEANS FREEDOM.
Back in 2000 or so, my vision of a very logical and brave new Orwellian world was what I saw on the horizon.  It inspired and ignited me. This was a world where pregnant women were empowered to be amazing and birth in their own way without being made into a criminal or medical diseased patient.  Here moms of all ages were enlightened on their unique role as a health leader and CEO of their family and life and where young girls could see the strengths in having menstrual cycles and ties to time and nature . How many times, after excitedly explaining my dreams, would I either get a nod and blank stare or spend the next 5 minutes trying to counter his or her reply . "That's nice but no one will pay for that and therefore, while needed,  it will not work." #NotBuyingTheBS  

ENERGY DRAINS
Yup, I know them leaks very well.   Early on, in my naive enthusiasm for my cause, I used to allow for them to tap into my flow.  I used to get a bit discouraged or jump into a few clinical courses so sure they would help me feel more empowered to lead the change.  I would waste energy or resources passionately explaining to my peers how people have the power to heal in their mindset and that despite the lack of RCT's I saw them better at helping to heal their body.  Like I said, I was naive. It took time ( YIKES LIKE 5 YEARS TO TAKE REAL ACTION) to feel confident enough to say "The heck with validation by my peers". My supposed mentors were too closed off in a cycle of the past to take the risk with me. While I loved them, they were very well trained clinicians but consequentially extremely  linear minded people. It basically comes down to risk aversion and for what ever reason, Physical Therapists have a high amount of it. The yogi in me thinks the entire profession has a bit of  low confidence karma but hey, by my psychosocial assessment score, I am a non conformist and high influencer by nature so, here I am.   Understand your behavioral style ...HERE

 ALL I KNEW WAS THAT:
1) I had direct access which means anyone could walk off the street and I could sell them something. 

2)I knew I was unique and solved a problem. I could offer more than other providers only treating the body. I connected the emerging science of female inspired healthcare to the problem of poor post-partum support. I could make sense of the yoga with the physiology of brain and the consciousness of the mind over the limitations of the body better than any PT or yoga teacher I knew. 

3) I could work my work into a flexible and viable business if I set my hours around the kids.  I could cut the cost of my time and charge what I valued for my creative ways in many price points. 

4) I could no longer see myself in building multiple practices for profit.  I could not see becoming management as being worth the money of leaving client care. I no longer saw long term clinical orthopedic private practice as it was as success anymore.

5) I wanted to design my work style with a flexible lifestyle. 

MISUNDERSTANDINGS AMONGST THE PLAYERS
You would think wanting to hold myself and my clients self accountable for the energy we both put into their care would be a no brainer supported idea.  Nope. Maybe I scared friends back in the early 2000's? Who knows? But, I think with the introduction of the Triple Aim into healthcare, most will realize, this is really not rocket science. Creating community and professional exchange from day one and stepping up your risk to the level of holding a clinical doctorate degree is what is going to have to be if you wish to remain in the game. 

What will be tough is changing minds and processes because hierarchy and tons of letters after your name no longer works for determining who is the most valued member to care within this visionary model.  In business, a client's perceived satisfaction matters more than my actual professional opinion or calculated income ratios.  To me it is about being of service so either way you slice it, skills and relationship ( the right clients) allow my special brand of quality to shine. Plus, people pay for something they want, not necessarily for something they need.  If you put your energy into that mix of wisdom, it will always bring the money. If you are good, Be Good.  If you stink, you are starting to realize that no one wants to pay for that because you paid for several letters after your name. Karma is Karma. Prove me wrong.  This fact is REALLY a hard pill for some of my colleagues to swallow.  

LEADERS OF CHANGE STEP UP
When I opened in 2005, there were no other 100% cash based physical therapy centers in Charlotte.  I had a New York attitude and a dream but not a mentor. In fact, there were few independent PTs in my corporate and hospital controlled market. My first attempt, I started too big and marketing in the wrong way. It was NY style and not NC. As a result I closed in 1.5 years a bit shell shocked and poor and took a year off of clinical care focusing on building my own yoga with myself. I re opened in a 15 x 20 foot room in 2008 with much more clarity on my brand and what I really needed. By 2010 I was able to open up a multidisciplinary holistic health yoga themed center, house a 200 hour yoga educator training, in house train integrative staff, yoga classes, wellness workshops and private clients in both physioyoga and general wellness sessions as well as add a multi-specialty life coaching program by 2012.  All cash based in a corporate hospital market. #Creative Revenue .  But none of those exposures would matter if I had not been a catalyst by nature.  

If I went by the book of what was accepted as doable I may have refused to learn how to flip the entire paradigm of private practice physical therapy into a to a truly client centered model.  If I had refused to trust my clients knew best what they were willing to invest into their health and healing , I would not have outlined an in house client management system that was based upon person to person relationships instead of diagnostic codes and billable units of time. By letting my patients decide what they were going do today, I demonstrated mutual respect over knowledge seeking conversations. I learned to listen and I heard that the public, at many socioeconomic levels has the personal authority to decide what they are going to pay for that day and what they were going to do on their own to make sure not to waste any of the consulting, training or coaching energy I gave them in our time together. If fact this way worked so well that at the end of 2013, I heard the call to coach more, restyled my practice once again to teach the others to do the same .  Work with Me

What do you think?  How can you take what you already have and make this big idea of a fulfilling work life happen?  How can you fill your Energetic buckets everyday? Got some ideas working? Let me and other people know.