Last September I was asked to speak to second-year chiropractic students. Here’s my outline:

Be yourself – The only way be truly attractive is to be authentically you. No acting required.

Don’t seek approval – You simply can’t please everyone. Instead, focus on attracting your tribe.

Be friendly, not friends – Avoid using your practice to get your social needs met.

Set clear boundaries – Know precisely where your responsibility ends and a patient’s begins.

Trust the principle – Don’t become defensive when chiropractic doesn’t appear to “work.” There’s so much more going on than the adjustment.

Stay curious – Curiosity is about being interested and available. The opposite is judgment and an unattractive brittleness.

It’s not about you – What a patient does or doesn’t do isn’t a reflection of you. You can make it about you, but it’s not.

Upon further reflection these points might be helpful reminders regardless of the stage of one’s career.

Bill Esteb has been a chiropractic patient and advocate since 1981. He is the creative director of Patient Media and the co-founder of Perfect Patients. He’s been a regular speaker at chiropractic gatherings since 1985. His 12 books explore the doctor/patient relationship from a patient's point of view. His chiropractic blog, coaching program, patient focus groups and consulting calls have helped hundreds of chiropractors around the world. Since 1999 Monday Morning Motivation has been emailed to over 10,000 subscribers each week.