Part of growing and developing as a human being involves getting outside your comfort zone to acquire new skills, and finding mentors to provide context around these new skills. Spending time around mentors is an exceptional way to learn. They can provide lessons directly through the instruction that they give, but also indirectly through modeling the skills and behaviours that make them the successful individuals that they are. Maybe you have heard about the idea that you are the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with. The inference is that you pick up the behaviors, attitudes and actions of the people that you are around the most. I certainly believe that the influence of our inner circle on our character is powerful. This is one reason that choosing to spend time around great mentors is a good idea, because we pick up their good habits!
I have been lucky in recent months to have met an exceptional physiotherapist, Erdem Huner, whose successful practice follows in part from his high level of education and skills around Integrated Dry Needling. Dr. Huner completed a an advanced clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Andrews University focusing on research around the effects on maximal muscle contraction after a dry needling induced twitch reflex. I would without question consider him a professional mentor and am fortunate to be able to pick his brain about physiotherapy and life.
In the interview posted here I ask him about his research, about habits for good health and about habits for life in general! A few key things that came out of the interview include:
- There is nothing magic to good health, stick to the basics! Exercise, eat well, get lots of sleep and maintain some kind of reflective practice like writing or meditating.
- Remember to innovate in your life! Trying new things means getting a little uncomfortable. There is always an establishment of (sometimes legitimate) critiques of your new innovative “out of your box” behavior and this is never anything to be worried about. Either you learn from the outcomes and adjust your new behavior, or you run with a newfound success! Never let fear of critique or fear of “failure” stop you from innovating.
- Find a way to strive for excellence! We all deserve to excel in the things that we do. Take the time to set a vision for the type of person that you aspire to be. Then take small steps every day in the direction of your vision.
Check out the interview for full details and have as much fun listening as I did asking the questions!
Contact Dr. Huner at York Physiotherapy Associates (http://www.yorkphysio.ca/) in Richmond Hill ON.
