There’s a dangerous habit I see in podiatry…it’s comparison.
Not the healthy benchmarking type used to motivate, but instead, the quiet, internal, confidence-eroding type that slowly eats away at you.
You see a colleague expanding to a second or third location, while you’re still establishing your first.
You notice them driving flash cars and buying bigger houses, and you start to wonder where you went wrong. And before you know it, you’re comparing every aspect of your life.
But here’s the Reality
You are comparing your internal pressure to someone else’s external presentation. What you see and what is real can be miles apart… the truth lies somewhere in between.
This is what you don’t know and don’t see:
• Their debt levels
• Their cash flow stress
• Their ongoing staffing challenges
• Their family pressures
• Their mental load
In Episode 408 of the Podiatry Legends Podcast, my guest, Dr Jae Grymes, and I unpacked this idea in depth.
Social Media
Whether you like it or not, healthcare is changing, and so are the rules around marketing and personal branding.
Years ago, the successes of one health provider would go unnoticed by the rest of the profession; however, these days, social media is shoving their successes right in our faces, causing unconscious comparisons.
Comparison Influences Our Actions
When you build your clinic based on what others appear to be doing, you risk building something that doesn’t suit your life.
You might expand too quickly, take on unnecessary risk, overcommit financially, or sacrifice relationships, all to keep up with the illusion of external success.
What Does Success Look Like to You?
Not what it looks like to the profession, on Instagram or to your competitor down the road. What does it look like to you?
If you’re building a clinic but feel like you’re chasing someone else’s definition of success, maybe it’s time to pause and reassess where you’re at.
I know podiatrists with part-time clinics, working three to three and a half days per week, doing work they love every day, who make more money and have a far better lifestyle than another podiatrist with a large practice, working full-time and employing three podiatrists.
Figure out what works best for YOU!
I work with podiatrists who want profitable, structured businesses, but not at the expense of their health or family. If that sounds like you, you know where to find me.
But if you’re still not sure about scheduling a time to talk with me, that’s okay. Feel free to keep browsing my website.
You may even want to buy my book: It’s No Secret…There’s Money in Podiatry. ORDER HERE