For the past few weeks, I have been following the Little League World Series. I’ve always been a baseball fan, yet I’ve never followed the progress of these 12 and 13 year-olds in years past.
I found myself riveted by the maturity of these athletes. There was such a sweet combination of youthful exuberance mixed with gritty competitiveness. These kids played serious ball – fundamentally sound, focused, intense, and talented. You could almost envision the hours and hours of drills and practices to get to this level.
The thing that finally grabbed my attention was that these kids don’t play for money or fame or free agency or signing bonuses. They play for the love of the game. When was the last time any of us have seen that? Today’s sports are more business than entertainment. Once there were billions to be made, the twinkle in the eyes of the players was not from joy, it was from the reflection of their shiny new diamond necklaces and sports cars.
Then it dawned on me…aren’t chiropractors the same? Our ancestors started this game with a box on the wall, desirous of helping sick and suffering humanity with their bare hands. Now…not so much.
Do you still love the “game” of chiropractic? Going from table to table and connecting with your patients – and listening – and caring – and helping – all without the thought of profit? These kids were out there playing what we know to be our nation’s pastime and I’m thinking, “Why isn’t chiropractic still like this?”
Why do we see every chiropractic magazine filled weight loss and lasers, and athletic taping and multilevel marketing (oops – sorry, network marketing?) Why are we not sticking to good, sound fundamental chiropractic? Why are we not taking lessons from the Little League? They listened to their coaches, they cooperated with each other, they worked as a team, and they honed their craft to expert levels. They had attendance of over 400,000, and they created an energy field and boy, did they have FUN!
Let’s learn from these wonderful kids. Work hard to perfect your skill set, study the fundamentals, practice, respect your coach, play hard, do your best – every time, be a good sport, and have the best time you possibly can – each and every day.