As we ring in a new year, I reflect back on some of the best advice I’ve received this decade.  It came from my chiropractor, of all people.  I was stunned on my last visit to his office when he said something you don’t believe you’ll ever hear from your chiropractor—I’ve done everything I can for you.  Unless you start experiencing something acute, it’s all up to you now. We’re done.

For those who have never had back problems, you likely don’t understand just how amazing that counsel was. But Jeff, my chiropractor, had seen me through thick and thin.  At one point, I was barely able to stand in the morning after getting out of bed.  And after a few years under his care, and the care of other types of practitioners, I was fit enough to chop wood, bend over to pick up doggie deposits, and ride in the car for more than an hour! I could understand his perspective.  I really didn’t need additional treatment.  I was done.  But it was THEN that Jeff offered his best advice of all. 

One thing, Carl. You’re doing amazingly well. And that leads to the temptation to lift things you shouldn’t lift, to sleep on unnatural surfaces, and to stretch in ways that the good Lord never intended. My best advice to you into the future? Don’t Be Stupid.

Those are the last words I recall hearing from him.  They resonate. Don’t be stupid.

I reach to pick up a 50-pound sack of flour and his voice echoes across the years—Don’t be stupid. 

I go beyond my daily limit of chopping 25 logs—Don’t be stupid.

I believe I can carry one more suitcase to the car—Don’t be stupid.

And since he gave me that advice, my back’s been great.  As a result, I’ve carried it over into a lot of other areas of my life. 

I’ve been offered a gig for a client who requires ten times the meetings and half the paycheck of my best professional opportunities—Don’t be stupid.

A client needs a project manager for a project with no requirements and no end date under a firm, fixed-price agreement—Don’t be stupid.

We all have an innate ability (personal radar) to identify bad opportunities and situations that will put us in a world of hurt. It’s our “stupid radar”.  Beep. Beep. Beep. We see the blip on the screen and realize this is really a stupid idea.  And yet, because we have time or energy, we’re sometimes compelled to overlook those blips.

As you roll through 2026, let me suggest that you heed your innate radar. Listen to the voice of my chiropractor. There are a million and one ways to stay happy and healthy (and pain-free), but they require a commitment on our part.  Collectively, we need to make the personal promise to not be stupid.

Carl welcomes your thoughts and inputs.  Feel free to post them, or to e-mail him at carl@carlpritchard.com.  You could call, too, but the response time on e-mail is much, much better. Have an amazing 2026.