Happy Day

I just want to say that February 14, 2017 is a beautiful day.

I don't even mean that metaphorically.  The sun is shining and the sky a clear crystal blue.  Pikes Peak has snow and seeing that snowcapped mountain contrast against the blue sky is heaven to my eyes.  It is a reminder that what sustains me is simple and timeless.  It is being in nature.  It is having food and shelter.  It is good relationships and laughter.  It is playing and moving.  We can engineer all of those things out of our lives or find ways to completely change how we interact, mainly for the sake of convenience or to avoid discomfort.  I will always be a proponent of getting uncomfortable.  It's in the discomfort that we learn new things and a day without learning is a day without growth.  If we aren't growing, we're dying.

Which makes my life now all the more interesting.  In some ways joining the military is going out on a limb into the unknown and requires a commitment to be sure.  That said, in other ways it was a safe choice for me at the time in my life when I made the decision.  I wanted a graduate school education and the Army offered to pay for it.  Once completed, I had a guaranteed job, pay, and healthcare benefits while on active duty.  It was exactly what I needed at the time, until my needs eventually changed.  Eventually I wanted new growth outside of the military.  So I put myself in the uncomfortable space of owning my own business, and not only that, but a new business that wasn't following any sort of template for success.  I downsized my income dramatically but I also learned to downsize my wants.  My wallet and paycheck don't define my value or worth, but I still had to get my head around spending a lot less money.

I'm still working on the balance now since my business is not really generating me any personal income.  Some people might wonder why I am so adamant about owning my business when I basically do a lot of work for free (I make enough to pay my expenses but usually that's it).  Well, for me the business is a creative outlet AND it is a way that I can contribute to the community.  I rarely spend my paycheck contributing to anything because essentially with my business I LOSE money offering a very unique and quality service at an affordable price.

Sounds ludicrous doesn't it?  Perhaps.  But ultimately I have the freedom and power to do exactly what I want.  I could chose to do what everyone else is doing, but I find it a bit boring and even cumbersome at times (this is mainly due to how the medical system is set up, I am not referring to patients being boring or cumbersome).  So instead of be just anther gear in this giant system...I'm off to the side, out of the box, doing all sorts of things I want to do.  And I truly love my life now.  I never imagined living with so much less could be this enjoyable.  But let me tell you, I have more freedom now to do what I want to do than I have ever had at any other time in my life.  I would be afraid to give up this freedom in pursuit of more money.  I have what I need and I do meaningful work helping other people.  I absolutely cannot ask for more.

Eventually I believe Natural Performance Rehab, LLC. will be profitable enough that I can do that as my full-time job only.  But to get there, we (Joe and I) have to build our brand.  People have to know us and understand what we offer.  As this happens, we get more and more inquires for physical therapy, performance and movement evaluations, coaches training, and running and fitness coaching. I value that each visit I have with a patient or client is fully-authentic now.  I used to have to make excuses to the patient, like why I can only see them for a certain period of time or do certain things but not other things.  In my business I never have to compromise.  I can tell the patient or client my opinion and they make the decision as to what exactly they want.  It's freedom for the both of us and this is how medicine should be.  If we can use our medical, kinesiology, nutrition, etc knowledge to guide them, teach them how to critically think about their needs and assess what is or is not working for them, and empower them to take responsibility for their health...this is how we change the world.

As I look outside my window at this beautiful day, I can't help but love the freedom that I enjoy.
I am grateful.  I have no anxiety about the future because I am living for today.
Bless you all.