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The Road Less Traveled vs. The Societal Highway

The Road Less Traveled vs. The Societal Highway

Going against the grain is an exhausting concept.  The concept of going against the flow of society is exhausting and lonely when you really think about it.   The decision to do something different is scary enough, without having to think that you will be alone and exhausted in doing so.  The simple concept of “going against the grain” makes many weary of change.  What if you weren’t going against the grain but rather taking the road less traveled? And you knew others had traveled it and been successful but it just wasn’t the most traveled; it wasn’t the societal norm?

Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in the woods and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference.” This simple quote is how I have decided to view my decisions for me in terms of health, wealth, goals, and choices. About ten years ago I began to really assess what path I wanted for my life. Doing the same things over and over gets us the same results over and over and knowing this to be true I wasn’t sure I liked the results I saw people getting.

As I began to look at society as a whole, I saw poverty, sickness, sadness, low vibration, and many more things that didn’t have the appeal that made me scream, “I want that”.  Knowing that God wanted me to be abundant in all things: health, wealth, thought, happiness, vibration, in any and everything, I knew that the average American was missing something and many were missing a lot of something that I wanted and was created to have.  The realization came that I was going to have to do something different to get different results.

In researching what I wanted for my life I realized that I there were others who had what I wanted, they were out there, they were just fewer in numbers.  Many would say I go against the grain in the terms of health, wealth, thought, goals, and choices; I see it as taking the road less traveled.   There is a combination of senses that comes with the realization that you are traveling a road less traveled, a sense of security and a sense of adventure.

By societal standards I am considered weird because I make choices that vary from the norm, that sway from the road less traveled.  I like to think I simply woke up and liked the feeling of being eyes wide open awake.  It’s really easy to get “sleepy” when you monotonously do the same actions that everyone else does.  When a large amount of people are doing the same thing it creates a force that almost pulls you along and pushes you without having to exert as much will power.  You simply go through the movements.  But when you get a wake up call and acknowledge it you, you realize that rather than living your life you are living the same life as everyone else.  Where is the adventure in that?

We all get several wake up calls throughout life, in relationships, health, wealth, etc. and just like anything it all depends on how we address that wake up call.  Nothing in life has meaning until we give it meaning.  My series of wake up calls led me to ask myself whether or not I was happy where my journey was taking me. Which led me to decide that the road less traveled was unknown but more appealing and has proven its self to be more of a scenic route.  I like to view it as traveling the back roads while the majority is taking the highway.  There is no right or wrong choice as long as you know where the highway is taking you and you approve of the destination.  There is something serene about enjoying the ride you are on as opposed to hanging on for dear life!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler                                                             drm@drmarthanessler.com

Innate Girl Productions www.drmarthanessler.com

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Optimal Chiropractic: A Creating Wellness Center                    www.yourbestwellness.com

 

 

Caught the Wave and Got My Spizz On

Monday, August 8, 2011

Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

“Caught the Wave and Got My Spizz On”

This weekend as a team, my staff and I,  attended The Wave at Life West College.  It was a fantastic weekend of spizz, being dipped in chiropractic philosophy and love.  At The Wave we had the pleasure of attending the inauguration of Dr. Brian Kelly.  Chiropractic is truly blessed to have such a true visionary at the helm.  When I heard that Dr. Gerry Clum was stepping down as president of Life West College, sadness fell on my heart.  Since the first time I heard Gerry speak I was a huge fan and supporter of his.  His love for chiropractors and the profession was refreshing and combining that with his desire to raise up principled chiropractors made me know that because of him the future of chiropractic would be strong.  Hearing Brian’s heart this weekend put to rest any worries that Gerry’s vision would die as he passed the presidential torch.  After this weekend there is no doubt in my mind that Life West will be producing principled chiropractors, chiropractors that will guard our sacred trust.

Dr. Kelly’s vision does not stop with students but rather encompasses a better understanding and appreciation of chiropractic and chiropractors throughout the world.  Summed up, he wants to create the necessary wave in chiropractic to create a shift in chiropractic and chiropractors.  This past weekend at “The Wave” was a perfect example of his desire to inspire, lift up, and educate chiropractors! He provided a weekend centered around philosophy and abounding in “Tic Talk” from some of the profession’s most inspiring and ““spizzed”” out chiropractors!

“The Wave” is a must attend for next year! Personally, my staff and I had an amazing well-rounded weekend! Dr. Kelley, the talented Tina Carter, and the rest of the amazing staff at Life West Chiropractic College put on a wonderful chiropracTIC seminar! There was the perfect balance between education and fun and even included the historical moment of Dr. Kelly’s inauguration and ended with a luau! The entire weekend was abundant in chiropractic spizzerinctum! All-in-all the first Wave was a huge success and created quite the wave in chiropractic!

As chiropractors it is so important that we get dipped in chiropractic and get “spizzed”! As chiropractors, we give and give, sharing our love of chiropractic with the world and getting re-fueled is important! Just like a motor vehicle, chiropractors needs re-fueled to optimally function! Seminars are great re-fueling stations to get submerged in spizzerinctum! Spizzerinctum is a word made popular by BJ Palmer in the 1910s and 1920s and used to define chiropractic enthusiasm or excitement about chiropractic! From spizzerinctum is where we get the term ““spizzed””!

“The Wave” is one of many great seminars where you can get spizzzed! Another favorite of mine is “The California Jam” aka CalJam put on by Dr. Billy DeMoss and the Dead Chiropractic Society!  I have also heard wonderful things about New Beginnings and am hoping to attend my first New Beginnings this year in October! EPOCs, COREs, DCS, Band of Brothers, 33 DCs, and other philosophy groups are also great venues to get dipped in TIC and to be immersed in spizzerinctum! Wherever you decide to go, GO! Just get re-fueled, get “spizzed”!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl

Weird vs. Normal: Where Do You Fall?

Monday, June 13, 2011

Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

Define weird.  I am becoming more and more confused about the word weird and what it means.  I also am unclear as to whether or not I want to be called weird. I am not really sure that I am the weird one.   More and more I am thinking that weird should be the new “normal” and I may just be ok with being weird.   Bottom line I believe that “weird” is really normal.

I love my life and I want to live it full out. I always say that I want to fulfill my purpose and live out my journey rather than have to stop my journey because I am unable to fulfill my purpose.  In other words, I want to be healthy, wealthy, agile, and surrounded by people I love.  It sure beats the alternative: old, crippled, broke, and alone! My wants define my daily actions.  Wanting to be healthy, wealthy, agile, and surrounded by loving like-minded people while I live my life full out means that I need to defy the social “norm”. To get different results you have to do things differently.

It has been said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results equates to being insane.  Our society is clearly insane. It has been proven that working out increases your overall wellness, decreases your chances of heart disease, elevates your mood, and prolongs your life.  Yet, people remain sedentary? It has been proven that a diet high in fruits & vegetables, lean meats, nuts, and healthy fats is the appropriate fuel to run the human body at full capacity.  Yet, people eat processed foods and ignore the negative affects of the chemicals in these foods? Pharmaceuticals are constantly being pulled off the market for their horrible side effects, causing death, and manifesting more symptoms.  Yet, people continue to believe that the newest pill is the magic pill? Water increases our metabolism, rids our body of toxins, and hydrates our cells; it is vital for life.  Yet, people ignore water to quench their thirst with a soda full of chemicals? Artificial sweeteners are neuro toxins and cause cancer and diabetes, and paralyze the belly of the muscle while poisoning EVERY cell in the human body.  Yet, people say they have to have one because they are addicted, yeah they are; they are chemically addicted.  Vaccines have numerous side effects that range from autism to weakened immune system to paralysis to death.  Yet, out of fear people continue to get these poisons injected into them without even knowing why? The list goes on and to me it is all so weird but in today’s society it appears to be normal.

I have a different definition of normal.  I define normal eating as consuming wide ranges of fruits and vegetables, eating healthy nuts and fats, lean meat for protein, and eliminating grains and dairy. So I follow this for my meal plans. Exercise is important, both aerobic and anaerobic, and I believe that movement creates life.  By working out I know I will increase my life expectancy, decrease dis-ease, and eliminate stress in my life and the feel good endorphins are great tool to stave off depression. So I work out 5 days a week. I know that I need water to increase my overall health, rid my body of toxins, and to hydrate my cells and alkaline water is even better.  So I drink half my body weight in ounces a day.  I believe in the power of positive thought and fully respect that my thoughts create my reality. So I do my best to remain in a positive frame of mind I know that we are not chemical beings and that drugs alter my natural state.  I cringe when I read the negative side effects and have no desire to make one symptom leave and replace it with another.  I know that humans are self -healing and that a balanced nervous system equates to a system free of dis-ease.  I know that dis-ease leads to disease so my chiropractor checks me once a week. I know the power of chiropractic so I get adjusted.   The combination of all the above provides the recipe necessary to live an optimal life.  To me this is normal and to others I appear to be weird.

Weird vs. normal, much like life it is how you look at it.  So, what am I? I’m me and I plan on living my life full out and enjoying every minute of it.  I want to make the most of my journey and make memories along the way.  I want to be pain free, healthy, wealthy, peaceful and in the company of great friends.  And most of all I want to bless others and share my love of life and my knowledge of wellness and if I get called weird along the way so be it! Weird or not you only get one life, live it full out.

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler

Would You Jump off a Bridge if Everyone Else Did?

Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational

Monday, April 4, 2011

As a child you may remember being asked, “Would you jump off a bridge if everyone else did?” This statement was usually the response you received when wanting to do what everyone else was doing or having made a decision based off of your friends and not common sense.  Your response to your parents probably coincided with your personality or mood and ranged from: “No!” “Yes, I would.” “It depends on how high the bridge is…” or some other creative response depending on your level of sarcasm.  Regardless of your given verbal response the internal response was “No way! That’s a stupid question.” Whether or not you would jump off the bridge was meant to get you thinking.  It was more of a “use your head better” metaphor.

In my thirties, I find myself becoming more and more like my dad.  Making sure I get to bed on time, budgeting, running businesses, cleaning the house, being rational, and many other things that scare me for a second and then I realize maturing is a good thing.  Maturing doesn’t mean I am getting older but rather wiser.  I can stomach getting wiser!

One of the many things I realized today is that “Would you jump off a bridge if everyone else did?” is more and more prevalent EVERYDAY in my life.  I decided recently it is the perfect rhetorical question to use as a response to get people to THINK! I haven’t started saying it YET but this May is about to be the start of yet another thing I do that my father does.  Thank God he turned out OK!

I am constantly educating people on the “what to do’s” in life.  And they are shocked! Because it is different than what they were taught by there MFTPs (mother, father, teacher, preacher) and different than what everyone else is doing.  The social norm to them is less scary but this is all perception because to me the social norm is scarier as it leads down the path of sickness, disease, poverty, and negativity.

There are a few things that I personally believe it is ok to take the option less frequently picked and not jump off the bridge with everyone else.  In my opinion, there are some choices that need thought, deep thought because making the choice that everyone else in the United States makes is pretty much jumping off a bridge.  Choices regarding Healthcare/Lifestyle, Thought, and Finances are probably the tallest three bridges with the shallowest water.

Healthcare, unless you live in a Redwood tree in California and are pretty much removed from society you know that our healthcare system is on a downhill slope and is headed NOWHERE and fast! Yet, people refuse to make any necessary changes.  They keep doing the same things they have been doing and expecting change.  The lifestyle choices we make play a HUGE roll in the decline of the American healthcare system.  The irony is that when recommendations are made to stop fast food, quit diet coke, eat live and healthy foods, get regular chiropractic care, exercise, stop all vaccines and the abuse of pharmaceutical meds there is hesitation.  Personally, I don’t get it. What the average person in America is doing is not working YET they continue to do it out of fear of being different.  Yet, being different would be being healthy, see the irony?  I have decided the perfect rhetorical question to use as a response for those who question advice on healthcare and lifestyle is simple “Would you jump off a bridge if everyone else did?”

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Example:

Me: “I really think you should stop eating fast food as it has more negative than positive effects to the human body, is useless for nutritional purposes, and doesn’t decompose in landfills.”

Person: “Everyone else eats and they aren’t dead.”

Me: “They aren’t dead YET. Would you jump off a bridge if everyone else did?”

Person: “Well no that’s a stupid question.”

Me: “Define Stupid Question?”

___________________________

Thought is another bridge above shallow water.  Many people live with the misconception that their thoughts are separate from their reality.  They have no idea that their thoughts DIRECTLY affect their reality.  That when their thoughts are positive, happy, full of joy, and affirming that their life is the same and abundant.  The same holds true of negative, dark, disturbing, dreary, negative past experience thoughts hold them back and rob them of a life of abundance, keeping them in their past.

We are always reminded, as children to choose our words wisely as to not hurt others because you can’t take words back once they are said.  The same rings true today, its imperative to choose our words and just as importantly our thoughts.  Realizing the power of thoughts allows you to begin to speak your life into existence.  Your words and thoughts should be catapults as opposed to anchors that hold you in your past or keep you from growing and progressing.  Speak wisely and positively, words and thoughts matter.

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Example:

Me: “Did you know you have the ability to control the outcome of your life by the words you choose.  For example, using loving and affirming words and thought will create a life that is abundant in love and blessings.””

Person: “Sounds like hocus pocus, everyone I know speaks like I do and they are fine.  Life is what life is what it is and something you have to do.  You are weird.”

Me: “That’s where we differ I see life as a “get to” and not a “have to” because I think it’s a “get to”! See the difference?”

Person: “I am sticking to what everyone else does makes more sense.”

Me: “You have that right, life is beautiful as it is your choice.  But, if everyone jumped off a bridge would you do it because that made more sense because they were jumping or would you step out of your comfort zone?”

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Just like most areas in our life finances are one that we learn from watching others whether family, people in our sphere of influence, or just society.  The irony is that the current model that we as Americans have is not working.  As a nation we are in debt and the average person is financially floundering.  The average American has multiple credit cards with outstanding debt, has a lack of savings and what they do have saved they have in an inaccessible location until a certain age or there are penalties.  To sum it up, most have no money and the majority of those with money have no control over their finances and their money is unattainable.  Financially they are out of balance.  Having one area out of balance throws all areas out of balance whether business, finances, relationships, etc… we must retain the intricate balance to have a solid foundation for growth.

There are so many things outside of the social norm that will allow you to obtain financial balance yet people are so afraid to step out of their comfort zone.  Creating a budget is the first easy step to make sure that you are spending within your limits and not living outside your means.  Placing 10% of your paycheck into savings and always having three months salary is a great way to feel secure because you actually have security.  Using a whole life insurance policy rather than the usual 401K allows you to over fund and still have money which is accessible if an emergency arises.   The aforementioned are some simple tricks of the many out there yet people are afraid to step out and forge a path that is different from society.

Many times I give them my friend Dr. Janice Hughes book, Inspired Wealth, to help them understand that while it is a road less traveled it is the road to financial balance. (If you want more info on her book let me know.) Jumping off the financial bridge with everyone else will be sure to land you in a pool of debt make sure you don’t follow the masses on this one!

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Example:

Me: “How is your financial situation?”

Person: “Oh you know robbing Peter to pay Paul.  Thank God for my 401K!”

Me:  “You know there a lot of little adjustments you can make in terms of your finances such as whole life insurance, monthly budgeting, and saving 10%, right?

Person: “That seems a little farfetched. I appreciate it but Ill stick with the way my parents and grandparents did it!”

Me: “I get your hesitation to try something new, but I do believe it is worth a try!  I mean just because everyone jumps off a bridge doesn’t mean you will, right?”

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Just like in your childhood the statement, “would you jump off a bridge if everyone else did?” was meant to make you think about your own choices and not the choices of others the same holds true today! So, start thinking for yourself and realizing different can be good especially when it opens doors to an abundant future! Life is to be enjoyed and we are meant to live a life full of blessings.  God wants us to live our life full out and have an abundance of blessings and riches! We just have to believe that and be willing to make choices that separate us from the pack! Simply stated we have to be willing to not jump off the bridge when everyone else does!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl

 

 

 

Do You Practice What You Preach?

Dr. Martha’ s Monday Morning Motivational

Monday, November 8, 2010

Do you exemplify health and wellness? Could you utilize the mantra, “Be fit. Eat right. Think well. Get adjusted.”? Or would you be lying to say you do? Do you exemplify all four areas? As chiropractors it is absolutely imperative that we live out the same principles that we teach our patients.  My patients love to know that I hold myself accountable to the same lifestyle I encourage them to live.  I always tell them I would never ask them to do something which I don’t do myself.  And I would never….are you congruent?

I get so frustrated when I see unhealthy chiropractors and even more frustrated when I see unhealthy chiropractors who are struggling.  In my opinion a huge part of business success  is a direct reflection of personal success.  This applies to all areas of our personal lives.  I always say how you do anything is how you do everything and what you do speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying. Really think about what I just said.

I realized one day that I don’t regularly tell my patients about my lifestyle choices but because I live them out I don’t have to.  I exemplify the wellness lifestyle.  They can tell that I workout regularly, eat a well balanced diet, think positive thoughts, and get adjusted. By taking care of the body God gave me I am a walking billboard for my practice.  People in my community know that I am different.  The same holds true for you in your community.

While for some this may seem like  a no brainer…but I know for sure this is not true for everyone.  It’s sad but true.  So, this is my challenge start with you…look at your lifestyle where do you have a gap? What could you do to get one step closer to optimal health.  Personally I reassess constantly.  I am always looking for additions to my lifestyle to increase my overall wellness and when I find something that works I share it with my practice members so that we can all grow.

Decide today what you can do to continually be your own billboard, a walking, talking advertisement for your practice and the chiropractic lifestyle.  The principle of chiropractic is that the body needs no interference: chemical, physical, or emotional.  What interferences are you tolerating? What changes or implementations can you make to benefit you, your patients, and your future patients? Realizing that the shift must start with you and with the right intention will result in a ripple effect that alters your practice.

Making changes in the area of wellness is hard for many but crucial for overall longevity.  They are forced to let go of habits and sometimes addictions which are a ball and chain to their unhealthy lifestyle holding them back from optimal wellness.  Remember ddictions don’t have to be just alcohol, street drugs, and tobacco; they can be processed foods, negative thoughts, a sedentary lifestyle or so much more.  Be a role model that allows them to see that change is possible and the teacher that reminds them change is imperative.

Start with you.  Make the necessary changes to increase your personal wellness.  Make sure you are working out regularly, motion is life.  Eat whole foods, we are organic beings not chemical creatures and food is fuel not just fun! You are what you think, uplift yourself and others with positive thought.  Sigafoose said, “Subluxations kill!” so get adjusted….REGULARLY! The aforementioned is a phenomenal base recipe for success, as you get comfortable with all four categories on a basic level begin to add to it’s complexity. If you begin to practice what you preach your community will begin to see your dedication to a wellness lifestyle.  They will see that you are different and it’s a different that is the right way to go!

Love. Laugh. Adjust.

Dr. Martha, Innate Girl