Private Practice Success - A powerful rainy day mindset shift
You're the one keeping you stuck in your practice
I know it hurts, but it's the truth.
Let me explain how - using a HUGE lightbulb moment straight from my walk to work.
Picture this:
I'm on my usual morning walk, recording my daily video for social media, it’s the usual hot, humid, blue sky day (I live in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 in case you were wondering).
Suddenly from nowhere. . .
The sky turns really dark and it starts pouring down, it is the monsoon after all. I dash for shelter under a small market stall, waiting for the rain to pass. Just a few moments later, a patch of blue sky appears, and I grab the opportunity and make a dash for home. As I'm speed-walking to get home before it rains again, I suddenly realise something that gives me a huge lightbulb moment.
💡 “Jill you idiot, you’re already soaked from sweating in this heat and humidity - you're soaking!!
So why are you rushing to avoid getting wet in the rain?” 💡
This lightbulb moment made me realise how powerful my subconscious, grey, cold, rainy day UK conditioning was, and how this powerful conditioning was influencing my actions, making me do illogical things. I defaulted to my conditioning even though it made no sense.
That got me thinking about how much we might negatively impact aspects of our lives including our businesses, because of our conditioning.
What is the secret of success in private practice?
Tony Robbins says that success in business comes down to 20% strategy and 80% mindset.
Nope, that is not a typo!!
Business success = 20% strategy and 80% mindset 🤯
That means your practice success (or lack of it) is hugely influenced by your mindset because your mindset hugely influences your actions and they dictate your results. All brilliantly demonstrated by me running for cover from the rain when I was already soaking wet - it makes no sense but we do it anyway 😳
Our mindset is shaped by our conditioning, our exposure to situations that programme us to react in certain ways to certain stimuli.
The following statement might blow your mind but according to Marisa Peer, a well know behavioural therapist, we are born with only two fears:
- Falling
- Loud noises
EVERYTHING ELSE is a result of conditioning.
In other words, how we act in any other given situation, is learned behaviour 🤯.
Read that again if you need to.
The Unseen Power of Conditioning
That means our personal reactions to every other situation are a result of life conditioning, aka learned behaviour.
THAT IS REALLY POWERFUL - because if you can learn one set of behaviours, like self sabotaging, you can learn another to counteract the negative ones BOOM!
My rush to avoid the rain was a perfect example of how deeply rooted and powerful our conditioning can be, completely overriding strong logical, rational thought.
For me, too many days spent running from the rain in England where getting wet meant a long cold miserable walk home from school, had conditioned me to run unquestioning from the rain, even now when I was wet already and it was 30oC. Despite knowing logically that a0 I was wet already and b) rained on in the heat and humidity of Colombo, wouldn't have any real negative consequences, my subconscious drove me to hurry home.
This got me wondering how many of our other daily actions inside our private practices are driven by subconscious conditioning rather than logical, strategic thinking.
Just like my dash from the rain in the tropics, where I sweat buckets every morning anyway, our business routines often follow conditioned patterns that may not always serve our best interests.
How often do we make decisions based on ingrained habits rather than impactful strategy?
I can't . . .
We shouldn't . . .
You should . . .
We don't . . .
I better . . .
You must . . .
How many of those daily decisions or actions are driven by conditioning, not strategic, rational, evidence based thinking?
How many of our actions are automatic responses to situations, rather than deliberate choices driven by critical thinking?
This is why I say with great confidence that if you're feeling stuck in your practice you're the one keeping you there - as much as it hurts. But just knowing that is empowering. It means we can do something about your situation.
Recognising and Changing Subconscious Patterns
To break free from these patterns, we need awareness - which you now have 🎉.
Now you are empowered to make some changes.
When it comes to decisions in your practice, ask yourself:
Is this decision based on logical strategic thinking or an automatic conditioned response?
In our practices, we are conditioned by our experiences within our profession, or industry, our local business community, or even by family, parents, or friends. By becoming aware of these patterns, we can start to change them and make more strategic, impactful choices in our practices. Choices that will help get us unstuck, and out of the loop we can often find ourselves in.
If our actions week on week are so powerfully influenced by our subconscious conditioning, it is no wonder that we end up stuck in a loop inside our practices, repeating the same experiences over and over again.
For instance, are you hesitant to adopt new marketing strategies because you fear being judged by colleagues?
Are you sticking to outdated marketing methods because "that's how we've always done it"?
Identifying these conditioned responses can help you override them, making more effective decisions that drive your practice forward, and helping you to get unstuck.
HOPEFULLY AT THIS POINT YOUR BRAIN IS GOING . . . .
Embrace the Blue Sky Moments
Just like the patch of blue sky that appeared for me after the rain, moments of clarity can lead to significant insights. When you get a chance, reflect on decisions you're making or actions you're taking (or not taking) inside your practice, as well as in your life away from the business.
See if you can identify areas where conditioning might be holding you back or keeping you stuck. Take these "blue sky moments" as opportunities to override your subconscious conditioning, kick ass and get the hell motivated to change.
To Summarise : (if you're not a details person 😜)
Success in your healthcare practice is heavily influenced by your mindset - 20% strategy & 80% mindset.
Your mindset influences your actions and they dictate the results you get.
If you're feeling stuck or unhappy NOW is the moment to choose to get out of autopilot and into taking more conscious, strategic actions.
By recognising and challenging your subconscious conditioning, on each decision you make in your practice, you can unlock new potential and drive your business in the direction you want it to go.
So, next time you find yourself doing your equivalent of rushing to avoid the rain, take a moment to reflect. Is your decision driven by habit or by logical, strategic, beneficial thinking?
You might actually feel energised by dancing in the rain instead of running from it 😍.
Being more aware of our actions helps us focus on, and develop, a mindset that supports our success.
I really hope that my lightbulb moment on my walk to work helps you as much as it helped me.
Stay curious, stay strategic, and say ENOUGH to the conditioning that's holding you back.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Have you experienced moments where actions driven by subconscious conditioning were illogical?
Share your stories in the comments below!
Until next time, keep walking, keep thinking, and keep growing 😁
