Begin by taking stock of what you have and what you want to achieve.  List your strengths and the areas that you need to improve upon.  Many life coaches begin their counseling with helping their clients to create a road map for life, both professionally and personally.  Setting short term and long term goals for your practice will give you a road map to follow and outline specific steps that you need to take to achieve your goals.  Setting short term goals, and a timeframe to meet those goals, will keep you from getting overwhelmed by the big picture.  Think of life as a 1000 piece puzzle.  When you first start, the task may seem overwhelming, but set a goal of sorting out the pieces, by color or edges.  Once they are sorted, you can see concrete progress, and the overall task doesn’t seem as daunting.  Every great journey begins with a single step.

 Time management is critical for success in any business or aspect of your life.  The question that you should be asking yourself frequently is: “How can I be most effectively spending my time right now?”  Efficient use of your time will allow you to continually move toward your long term goals, and improve your overall success.  This will include hiring people to perform tasks that you do not perform very well or distract you from your objective.  As a doctor, your focus should be on the well-being of your patients.  That is where you need to spend the majority of time. Leave the ancillary aspects of treating patients to your staff: scheduling, billing, office management, and office maintenance.  These items can be, and should, the duties of your staff or outsourced.

Effective time management also includes time to relax and rejuvenate.  While striving to reach your definition of success, don’t let yourself get burned out.  Remember that the journey is also part of the success story, not just the ultimate goal.  By taking time to relax and recharge you will actually be more efficient and productive.

 As part of your goals, you need to define your unique niche.  What is special about you and your practice which will attract patients to your practice?  You may have a unique personality, a greater skill level, or extensive knowledge in a specific area.  You need to create a climate within your practice that makes your patients want to tell their family and friends about you.  You have to make your patients feel special and that you are the best doctor in your area.  No one tells their friends that they are going to the third best doctor they could find.  Being positive, knowledgeable, and caring will make your patients feel that they are special and make you special in their eyes.  Remember the universal law:  The more people that you help reach their goals, the more that you will achieve your goals.  Patients come to you for help with their health problems, when you help them reach their goal of health, then you will reach your goal of a successful practice.

Often reaching your goals requires you that step outside your comfort zone, and doing things that you don’t feel comfortable doing.  You should never be afraid to try something new, or doing things that you don’t want to do.  You should always be growing, learning or trying new things.

Take action to achieve your goals.  Two thought processes are prevalent : Ready, aim, fire – OR – Ready, fire, aim.  Only a slight difference in thought process, but often a great difference in outcome.  Being prepared and taking action are critical for success.  Don’t let ‘paralysis by analysis’ keep you from achieving your goals.  Make a decision, take the steps necessary to reach your goals, and make adjustments along the way.

 Success is not easy.  If it were, everyone would be successful.  But, don’t get caught up chasing success.  As motivational speaker Jim Rohn says: “Success is not to be pursued, it is to be attracted by the person you become.”  Change yourself and you will begin to change your circumstances.  Have a goal, take the action to achieve your goal, and you will be a success.