I come back to an old adage again and again when working with DCs across the US: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
I come back to an old adage again and again when working with DCs across the US: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”Whether you’re fresh out of school or 20 years into a successful practice, that little voice in your head that whispers, “You should be doing better,” constantly making comparisons, can rob you of fulfillment, purpose and peace.
Comparison is natural. It’s human. But in the chiropractic profession—where we’re already juggling patient care, documentation, staffing issues, compliance headaches and trying to squeeze in time for our families—it’s also one of the most toxic forces to your success and well-being. Let’s talk about why that is, and what to do instead.
Comparison: The silent epidemic in chiropractic
You know the drill. You attend a seminar and hear that another doc in your state just cleared a million-dollar year. Someone else boasts about their associate-run practice while they spend three months in Tuscany. You log onto Facebook and see a colleague adjusting celebrities or receiving a local “Best of” award for the fifth time. And instead of feeling inspired, you feel deflated.
That’s because comparison—especially in our hyper-digital, image-curated world—rarely happens against a fair or full picture. You’re stacking up your internal chaos against someone else’s external highlight reel. You’re seeing their success without their struggle. You’re comparing your path to theirs without understanding the years of missteps, breakdowns and redirections it took to get there. And even worse, you might start believing that your own practice isn’t enough. That you’re not enough. Let me stop you right there.
Success without alignment is a setup for burnout
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know what it’s like to “succeed” and still be completely miserable. I built a booming practice. But behind the scenes, I was overworked, overwhelmed and financially unstable. I could adjust like the best of them, but I couldn’t balance a checkbook. Chiropractic college prepared me for patient care, not for profit.
And when the stress reached a breaking point, I had to admit something painful: I was a great DC, but a lousy business owner.
That turning point became the foundation for Breakthrough Coaching. I wasn’t content with just helping DCs survive—I wanted to build a system to help them thrive. And that starts with alignment. Not alignment of vertebrae, but alignment of values, systems and purpose. When your practice reflects who you truly are and is built on systems that support your vision, you stop looking sideways. You stop needing to measure your worth against someone else’s scoreboard.
The real measure of a practice
I coach DCs from every background—straight, mixer, technique-driven, medically integrated. What I’ve found across the board is this: The most joyful, profitable DCs are the ones who’ve stopped trying to be someone else. They’ve defined success for themselves. For some, that’s a million-dollar, multi-doctor practice with multiple locations. For others, it’s a lean, efficient practice that closes at 2 PM so they can pick their kids up from school. Some of our members measure success by income; others by impact, flexibility or legacy.
And all of them are right.
If there’s one belief I want to retire from our profession, it’s that there’s one way to do chiropractic “right.” There isn’t. There’s only the way that’s right for you—and your patients, your family, your goals.
The antidote to comparison? Clarity.
Here’s the deal: Comparison flourishes in the absence of clarity. When you don’t know what you really want from your practice, you’re vulnerable to chasing what looks good on someone else.
That’s why one of the first questions I ask coaching clients is: What’s important to you? Is it financial freedom? More time with your spouse or kids? The ability to give back philanthropically? To teach, write, travel? There’s no wrong answer. But you must answer it.
Clarity becomes your North Star. It lets you filter out the noise. And it gives you the power to say no to distractions—especially those that come dressed up as #chirogoals on Instagram.
Systems that serve you
Once you’ve got clarity, the next step is putting the right systems in place to support it.
Too many chiropractors are stuck practicing what I call “random acts of business.” A little marketing here, a half-trained front desk CA there, changing your EHR every six months because the latest one promised better automation. Sound familiar? It’s not sustainable. And worse—it doesn’t scale. You can’t take real time off. You can’t sell your practice one day. You can’t train new staff without starting over from scratch.
We believe in practices built on repeatable, teachable, scalable systems. Systems that make your practice less about you, and more about what you do. When you can walk away for a week—or a month—and your practice doesn’t just survive, but thrives, that’s freedom. That’s when you get your joy back.
Family over ego
There’s one more piece to this puzzle that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s an unspoken rule n our circle: We celebrate each other’s wins.
Comparison dies in community. You’ll find no ego here. Our highest-earning members routinely share their strategies with others. Why? Because they remember what it felt like to struggle. They know their growth isn’t threatened by someone else’s. They know that rising tides lift all ships.
When you surround yourself with colleagues who don’t just root for you but walk alongside you, you start to realize something powerful: You don’t have to do this alone. And you don’t have to be anyone but yourself.
Final thoughts: Joy as a strategy
Chiropractic isn’t just a profession—it’s a calling. But if we’re not careful, that calling can get drowned out by the pressure to keep up, stand out or be everything to everyone.
Let me encourage you to do something radical: Redefine success for yourself. Let go of the comparisons. Choose clarity. Build systems that support your version of joy. And if you’re not sure where to start—reach out. Your joy isn’t optional. It’s essential. And it’s waiting for you—just on the other side of comparison.
Mark Sanna, DC, ACRB LEVEL II, FICC, is the CEO of Breakthrough Coaching, a practice management company for chiropractic and multidisciplinary practices. He is a Board member of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a member of the Chiropractic Summit and a member of the Chiropractic Future Strategic Plan Leadership Committee. Sanna is the author of “Cracking the Code: Marketing Chiropractic—How Chiropractors Align Spines and Minds,” available on amazon.com. To learn more, call 800-723-8423 or visit mybreakthrough.com.
