As many of you may have heard, I will compete in a 70.3 mile Ironman Triathalon in St. Croix in May.  I have received many different reactions from patients when they hear this:  many of you have thought it to be a bit nuts, while others have wished me luck.  Periodically I like to challenge myself with very difficult tasks (a couple of years ago I challenged myself to not watch TV for a year…and succeeded), and, just like with the ironman, some may ask me why.  And my answer is simple…because its HARD!

When I truly think about it, the most truly memorable moments of my life have been the result of working on something that was hard.  Whether it was deciding to fly to South America to visit the most beautiful woman I’d met in my life (my wife of 11 years now, Monica Gerner McKinley), or whether it was deciding to open my own clinic in 2002, at 27 years of age, with little to no business capital.  These moments of my life were difficult, sprinkled with some fear and at times even tears.  I even had periodic moments where I considered quitting.  Through these experiences what I have realized that winners are people who, when knocked down by life’s challenges, decide to consistently stand back up, each and every time.  As cliche as that may sound, its a fact.  You may not get the results you want every time, but when you work at something (that is out of your comfort zone) with purpose you will succeed, and your sense of success and acomplishment will inspirse others to challenge themselves as well.

My goal this year is to inspire you to make change,  not necessarily to run an ironman, but to do something different, something out of your comfort zone.  Since our office is about wellness and tapping into the amazing power of your body through the chiropractic lifestyle, I would like our combined inspiration to not only help you individually, but to also help others both in the Chicago community and across the world.

Here is our 70.3 challenge to you:  between now and the end of the year, we want to challenge you to try something new and, at the same time, tell someone about the power of the chiropractic and how it has helped you.  We are setting a goal of 70.3 referrals in that time frame.  That means if only 1 of you a day decide to share your secret of chiropractic with a friend or family member, we will create 70.3 more miracles of health by December 31st.

Here are some ideas for your personal 70.3 challenge:

1.  Go to ted.com and watch the 2 minute video of Matt Cutts from google talk about making change….great video that will inspire anyone!!!!
2. Give up bread
3. Decide to walk to work or walk at lunch for 30 minutes everyday
4. Read 3 books you’ve always wanted to read but have not
5. Start a dance class
6. Write 1 personal card a day and mail it as opposed to email
7. Call your mom every week or your brother or sister
8. Give a sincere thank you to a co-worker daily

These suggestions my not seem Ironman Triathlon hard, but it certainly won’t be easy to sustain any of them for 70.3 days.

I am supremely confident that if you take me up on our 70.3 challenge you and your loved ones will thank me later;  as I will certainly thank you.   So what are you waiting for?  What have you always wanted to try?  The next 70.3 days of your life will pass you by whether you participate or not, so the question becomes  “will you remember them and will they be worth remembering?”

Together let’s help 70.3 people experience wellness.

Much love and respect,

Dr. McKinley