TWENTY ONE DAYS
Drawing A Line In The Sand…
We all love heroic stories because they speak to us in ways that usually don’t happen in everyday life.
One of my favorite lines from an old western movie was …“This town isn’t big enough for the two of us.”
Another great line, from a different movie, is where Dirty Harry, played by Clint Eastwood, makes his
famous statement …“Go ahead, make my day” while arresting a villain. Most of us admire the characters in
movies and books that are heroic, take a tough stand, and stand by their convictions against overwhelming
odds. It’s probably because we wish we were tougher, more heroic, and truer to our convictions in our
everyday lives.
When I stand by my convictions and am true to myself, it usually brings me a lot of self-satisfaction. I’m
sure you’ve also found this to be the case. Why? We all have an inner compass, INNER VOICE, or
conscience that constantly speaks to us, and it tries to guide our actions. This voice constantly prods us to
improve our lives and character. Unfortunately, for most of us, this inner voice gets drowned out by the
opinions of other people, a lack of time to contemplate what’s important in life, and just way too much daily
activity.
With this in mind, I would encourage you to take time to reflect on life, to judge, “Where am I going?”
…“Am I being true to my convictions?”…“Am I happy?” Initially, reflection like this may be difficult if
you have been in a constant habit of busyness. I have found it very helpful to have a quiet time in the early
morning, where no one will bother me …and I can think about my life and the day ahead of me.
I usually pray and read some scriptures to help me get back “on track”, and hear what God has for me
each day. It is usually a very uplifting experience that gives me the intestinal fortitude I need to face the
many choices I have each day. With how hard life can be at times, I find my quiet time a real necessity for
my peace of mind.
You might be saying to yourself about now, “Why is Dr. Herfert talking to me about religious or
spiritual things, when the reason I came to see him was because I have a bad back, or migraines, etc?” If
you remember my Six-Point Plan to regain your health and stay healthy, one of the points I always talked
about was …HAVING A HEALTHY MENTAL ATTITUDE …avoiding bitterness, and being forgiving.
Harboring unhealthy attitudes will eat away at your health and undermine everything that you do. Stress
from bitterness, unrealistic expectations about life, and the depression and disappointment that follows, play
havoc with your nervous system. Your nervous system is overwhelmed with these strong negative
emotions, you begin to make bad decisions that are destructive in nature, and events begin to snow ball out
of control. With each month, your health and vitality declines a little further, and more and more illness,
aches and pains, and even injuries occur with time.
My job is not just to adjust you! It is also to give you my advice, based on my training and years of
experience …so that you can live a BETTER LIFE, and avoid FUTURE INJURIES and ILLNESS.
Sickness doesn’t just happen …there is always a cause and effect. If you are harboring unhealthy attitudes
that continually adds excessive stress to your life …then somebody better warn you and show you a better
way before it’s too late! We all have met sick old people who said, “If I could start all over, I would live my
life different!”
THE GOOD NEWS IS …YOU CAN CHANGE!
COMMITMENT…
The beginning of each January, I usually ask patients if they made any New Years Resolutions. Usually
somebody will tell me, “I don’t make resolutions any more because they never work, or I don’t keep them.”
I usually feel sad when I hear this type of comment. It’s kind of like the person just told me that they died
on the inside, but decided to just keep their body alive because they didn’t know what else to do!
Every one of us has to have a reason to live, to get up in morning, besides just “It’s time to put some food
in my belly.” I’m not that old, but I’ve already seen and experienced a lot of hard things. I’ve had many of
my loved ones die; I’ve been burned in a fire, and broke my neck. I’ve failed at a lot of things …started
diets that I never kept …started and stopped exercising too many times to remember …made many
decisions to try to be a better person …and felt on some days “What’s the point?” With time, I have learned
that my failures are NOT FINAL, unless of course, I decide they are!
Part of what gets me up and going in the morning is my dedication to help you. Yes, I have mornings I’d
just as soon roll over and go back to bed, but usually my desire to help people stop suffering from pain and
illnesses wins out! I want the folks I meet to be healthy, pain free, and happy …but for most people this
means making A CHANGE. If what you have been doing hasn’t been working, and you’re still sick, in
pain, and or are still unhappy …it’s time to try a different path …to draw a line in the sand and say, “My
life is going to be different!”
THE POWER OF THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES
Folks who study human behavior, like the psychologists, tell us that it takes 21 days to develop a new
habit. Therefore, give yourself some time to change and develop new habits, new ways of thinking, and new
ways of reacting to what life throws at you. There are 365 days in a year, so that means you can fail sixteen
times in a year, and still have one more chance to be successful that year! And, if you fail again, you still
have next year! The point is …KEEP ON TRYING …DON’T GIVE UP!
This is an attitude you must have to be successful in life and also to be healthy. I truly believe God
wants us to be successful, happy, and healthy during our life on planet earth, but this requires effort on our
part. The number one reason patients don’t respond well to care is unfortunately associated in one form or
another with having an unhealthy mental attitude. If you harbor bitterness, unforgiveness, and other
negative attitudes that are always stressing your nervous system …“ How will you ever give your body a
chance to be healthy?”
I have heard some folks say that chiropractic care didn’t work for them. Sadly, all to often, I have also
heard these same folks say things that indicated that they had very unhealthy attitudes about life. If you are
always negative, doom and gloom, resentful about everything, etc., then you will probably subconsciously
sabotage everything I do, and any positive steps you take toward being healthy. Remember, our minds work
like computers …GARBAGE IN …GARBAGE OUT! If you focus on negative things all the time, then
you will probably get negative outcomes in your life and health.
I urge you, don’t let your thoughts and attitudes throw a monkey wrench into the healing process that you
have begun. Reflect on your attitudes. Take an inventory of your life, your priorities, and the relationships
in your life. Don’t settle on covering up symptoms, letting bitterness brew, or being unwilling to change
when your conscience is screaming at you. Life is short …Make it count today …and start your
life on a healthier and happier path today! This is a challenge we all have to face everyday …but the
rewards of getting it right, and the health and happiness it brings, far outweigh any effort we will have to
make!
DR. ERIC B. HERFERT DC