Several members of our staff recently returned from a management seminar in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where we learned a ton of information about milestones.  Yes, we flew to the north and sloshed through the dirty snow which was 18 inches deep to learn about milestones.  There are many different types of milestones. We learned about some of the types this weekend and were reminded of others.  The weekend started with discussions about the different milestones we reach with our patients as we watch them get better.  Their x-rays change in response to our corrective care, their demeanors change as the pain they were once experiencing disappears, and the atmosphere changes as we all watch the evolution of their experiences unfold.  Ultimately, our patients refer their friends and families to us so that they can experience the same care and hopefully get the same results.  After all, it is the purpose of every chiropractor that I personally know to make lasting improvements in the lives of those they touch.  Milestones are much more important to us than any other type of compensation we receive.

But these measurable milestones are the easy ones to tabulate.  There is protocol set up to measure them.  What about our personal milestones?  What is it that would determine for you whether or not you are successful in life?  Is it so simple as to look at the size of your bank account at a certain point and say, “Wow.  Look at that.  I have really done it.”?   You might have to take that statement back these days when you look at your retirement account and see that it is worth only half what it was three years ago.  Can you ride in the huge fancy car or sit in your huge luxury home and say that success is yours?  Maybe so.  For some this is just what they want to feel successful.  For others, though, the material trappings of success are trophies that leave them feeling empty when they measure what really meant the most in life.  This is not to espouse the theory that there is virtue in poverty, however.  There is nothing wrong in my opinion with having nice things, and I have a few of my own.  I just mean to say that there is usually more to look for to measure milestones in one’s life.

When you think of the milestones you would like to record for yourself or think about how you would like to be remembered after you leave this earth, what do you see?  How close are you to being the person you really want to be?  If you have to think too hard, you might need to redefine your life’s purpose. Without a purpose you can’t really measure milestones.  What would be your yardstick if you don’t have a definite purpose on this planet?  One of the definitions given by Webster for the word “purpose” is the object for which something exists or is done.  There are many stories of people who happily work until retirement age then die after a few short years because they lost their life’s purpose when they quit working.  Take out a piece of paper when you get a chance to do so and write down your purposes for being here.  We were not born by accident.  There is a definite job for each of us to do.  The way to restore life and action in a person is to rehabilitate their purposes.  If you have lost sight of your purposes, re-focus your energy and find them again.  The complicated place in which we live needs more people to lead who have clear in their minds what their purposes in life are and have a willingness to help others find theirs.

Once your purposes in life are redefined, you can decide the milestones by which you might measure your success.  If your purpose is to touch as many lives as possible with your gift of healing, as I believe mine is, and you are working in hotel sales, as I once was, you are clearly not fulfilling your life’s purpose.  Get your life in line with the channels that will lead you to the path of fulfilling your life’s purpose.  Milestones then are much easier to measure and living becomes completely fulfilling.  It is amazing how much easier life is when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.  When everything is a struggle and nothing ever seems to fall into place, pay attention to the purpose behind it all.  Are you where you are meant to be?  Treat your spirit well.