The Beginning to Something Special
As most of you know we have recently opened our first practice in Shakopee, but what most of you may not know if the journey it took me to get here. Here is a brief summary of how Zager Family Chiropractic went from a thought in my mind to brick and mortar building where we are helping as many people as possible.
I graduated high school in 2009 and went on to play basketball at the Div. II level in Marshall, MN. This was a vast change in scenery for me. Marshall was a much smaller town than Shakopee and did not offer anything more than I could originally have found in my hometown. Basketball ran my life, so I did not have as much freedom to explore or some would say “get in trouble” in this small town due to the large amounts of time I was putting in working out, basketball drills, film and of course my studies. I knew that I wanted to be in the medical field when I went to Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), but I was unsure of exactly what. I started out as a biology/chemistry major as general blanket majors so I could dabble in a few medical fields before I made my decision.
My first year has come and gone and I am now looking to shadow and find out more about each field that I could potentially be helping people for the rest of my life. I started out with one of the town’s dentist and from the start I knew that dentistry was just not for me for a few major reasons. The next step was to shadow a physical therapist and I really liked what I saw, and I was very hopeful that this is something that I could do forever. I wanted to keep my options open, so I shadowed a medical doctor and I could not see myself doing that either for a few reasons as well. Skip forward until later that summer after I finished my second year of school. I was working at the Menards in Marshall while still working out my basketball skills. I had a change of mind with being a PT and I was worried that I would not find something I loved doing and something that I could see myself doing for my whole life.
This was a becoming a problem in my mind more and more every day! I wanted to find something I loved and for all I knew it was always right in front of me. One day working out back of Menards helping people load brick and pavers into their trucks I had one customer recognize me from the college basketball team and he was a fan. We started talking and he asked me, “Matt, what is your plan after you graduate?”. I responded with what I have stated here in the article and at that moment in time, in which it had never became a thought before. I told this random stranger who I had just met that I wanted to shadow a chiropractor since I had yet to do so. Chiropractic was something that my family had taken advantage for most of my life, but it never occurred to me that I would like to become one until that very moment. What I also didn’t realize is that I was currently talking to the town chiropractor – Dr. Paul Puetz. Talk about fate slapping you in the face! I went on to shadow him and fell in love immediately with the practice of chiropractic and how it made such a big difference in all his patient’s lives. Chiropractic to me was the answer for the declining health of our nation and I wanted to spread the word to as many people as possible.
Fast forward almost a decade! I am here typing this first blog inside my very own clinic and doing exactly what I wanted to 10 years ago. With fate helping (more like pushing) me in the right direction and more work than I would have ever imagined a mere thought ten years prior has become reality and I am helping as many people as I possibly to reach their health goals.
*To anyone who is reading this I have a couple words of advice: Everything in this world started out with just a thought. It is those who put the work in towards that thought that those thoughts become real. Believe in yourself and you too will be living out your dream whatever it may be. This isn’t something that happens overnight or in the span of a couple years; remember this took me close to a decade, but I worked towards it everyday until it became exactly what I hoped it would be.
If you or someone you know is looking to improve their overall health or reach a health goal whatever it may be feel free to call us at: 952-297-8840 or if you would like to take a tour of our clinic as well.
As always, best of health,
Dr. Matthew Zager
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