As you all already know, October 1 is Goal-Setting Day – Maxwell Maltz said that the mind takes 90 days to work on a goal, so we recommend getting your goals for 2009 in writing as soon as possible, if you haven’t done so already. Aim for growth that is consistent with the amount of effort and energy you intend to invest – typically, 20% growth in key areas is a good starting point, so adjust your intentions accordingly so you have a spot to focus on in the distance.

Look at your stats, and see where you need to improve – and if you need help analyzing what you see, talk with the coaches, in your visits or in Open Consulting, to get clear about where you are and where you want to get to. Coaches can be objective and direct your work for maximum productivity, so use them as resources.

It makes sense to put some attention on next year at this time, but you’ll also need to keep sufficient attention on the current situation. You still have another quarter of the year to go, and it’s often one of the busiest quarters, so maintain enough focus on your plans and actions for the remainder of the year.

October is rich with special days, and you can choose events or promotions that are consistent with your particular interest. The theme of “the harvest” is wide open for natural foods presentations, while Columbus Day invites “health explorers” to discover wellness – use your creativity, and mastermind with your team to decide on how you can work together to serve more people.

You’re coming into the home stretch of the year, and no matter how close or far away you are to where you want to be, there’s enough time this year to pump up your passion, your intensity and your drive. Get motivated, there are a lot of people out there who desperately need what you do – will you be the one to reach them? Take your best shot, it’s good for them and good for you.

The first half of 2008 is in the bag, and halftime is a time for course correction or confirmation – are you on target? The natural break point at mid-year provides a perspective that both captures the momentum of the previous period and also allows for a fresh start where appropriate.

Summertime, in most locations and for most people, is an excuse to slow down – yet the opportunities are great, for promotions, outdoor events, screenings, health fairs and other public service-oriented programs.

Capture the attention of people in your community by sponsoring a Wellness Week, which taps into a hot issue in many people’s minds. You could hold a softball game for charity, screenings for an assortment of different aspects of health, healthy cooking classes, a meditation seminar or safe exercise training, and publicize through word of mouth with patients, vendors, and other professionals.

Above all, remember that your focus must be maintained as you begin the second half – if you hit your goals and are on a roll, then stay the course and look for places to tweak and improve. If you’re performing under your expectations, then get into a resourceful state, evaluate your strengths and weaker areas, and take action, so you can invest in the right places to accelerate your growth.

Enjoy the summer, and balance your workload effectively, for maximum fun and maximum return.

As you finish the second quarter, make distinctions not only about your statistics going up or down, but what they actually mean – are you attractive, do you have capacity to fill, what’s really going on here?

Look at the bottom line of your analysis, where you can compare this year to last year to date. Use this simple rule of thumb – if your new patients and PVA are going in opposite directions, you probably have some capacity limitations.

Logically thinking, if you have room in your practice, you could add more new patients or more visits per patient, but if you don’t have room, then if you try to add more NPs, either they don’t make it in because there’s no room (NPs go down while PVA stays the same or goes up) or they do make it in, but old patients get squeezed out (NPs go up but PVA goes down.)

Following this train of thought, if your NPs and income are rising, then you are attractive (people and money being attracted to you) and if either or both of these stats are down, it implies that you don’t have enough attractive pull.

This dance between attraction and capacity, where you make room and fill it, make room and fill it, is the surest way to consistent growth. Invest your time, energy, capital and resources in addressing this issue, and you’ll increase your efficiency while you build your practice.

Your statistics are nothing more than an indicator – they tell you if your message is coming across. The closer your new patient flow, PVA and collections ratio are to your ideal, the better you are being heard and understood by your clientele.

There’s a bit of a tendency toward Spring Fever in May, so watch out, and maintain your focus. Your patients may need to be reminded, recalled, or re-examined, to keep them on target – and that goes for you, too.

Keep your standards high and your enthusiasm up, because you must be a role model of excellence for your charges. Patients, like children, are more likely to emulate the behaviors they see than to be lectured or coerced into being cooperative – so, communicate not only with your words, but with your actions, and you’ll get more of the results you desire.

You’re deep into 2008 now, and you have enough data to tell you if you’re on course, or if you need to shift something – don’t avoid the inevitable, you have to look carefully at your numbers and let them direct your attention. Remember the elements of capacity technology – it’s the weaker areas that hold you back, no matter how strong your strengths may be.

Troubleshoot the practice and put some energy into the places that need it – it will come back to reward you many times over.

Springtime is a time of rebirth and growth, and your practice is no different from anything else in Nature – it has the tendency to grow, but must be nurtured by supportive conditions. Those conditions stem from your direction of your attention toward those elements of practice success that require it, a different formula for everyone perhaps, but a crackable code for those who are willing to pay the price.

Take stock of the first quarter – did it meet your expectations? Surpass them? Fall somewhat short of them? Don’t judge yourself, just notice if the results you got are consistent with the energy and resources invested, and make adjustments to your course of action accordingly.

Think of promotions that accompany springtime, from health fairs to sports events to attracting allergy patients, there are dozens of opportunities for you to influence and serve people. You should already have your marketing calendar and game plan for new patient attraction through the second quarter, but if not, then get it in gear and create your strategies now, better late than never.

Finally, use the metaphor of growth and rebirth in your practice, when discussing natural healing with your patients, so they can understand better how Nature works in their bodies. The more they appreciate Nature, the more they’ll appreciate your congruency with natural laws, and see the value of your care.