| All successful massage therapists agree that it is important to look at what you want for your LIFE before you start doing any planning for your BUSINESS. Otherwise how will you ever know if your massage business is taking you where you want to go?
For that reason it is important to explore what it is that really makes you tick? What makes you jump out of bed every morning? What helps you keep going when the road gets tough? What fills you with energy, excitement and enthusiasm?
‘Cause there will be times when you are building your massage practice and you simply don’t want to make another call, or attend another networking event.
But when you are deeply connected to why you want this in the first place, it will give you the energy and motivation to keep going. Does that make sense?
Also, when you have a clear sense of purpose and vision for your life, making decisions is easier, as your purpose becomes your “north star”.
On a recent Saturday afternoon I was luxuriating in the thought that I had the rest of the weekend, with nowhere to go, and nothing I had to do except hang out with my husband and dog, JJ.
And then the phone rang….
So I picked up the phone, and it was my mum calling from her home, a tiny village in West Yorkshire, England to tell me that my grandmother in Scotland (who raised me as a teen) was not doing so good.
In less than 24 hours I was on a plane to Scotland, and was able to spend some real quality time with my family.
On my journey back home to the States I was thinking about how easy it had been for me to make that decision to travel so far on such short notice. It was because I clearly knew what was important to me in my life, and what my values were.
Sometimes when I meet with clients they are working so hard in their massage business, and it may even be going very well, but still they are unhappy. That’s often because they haven’t taken the time to figure out what they truly want from their business, or even what they want from their life.
Even although we all get so busy growing our business, and trying to balance it all with other commitments, it’s important to step back from time to time to ask yourself if your massage business is indeed taking you where you want to go, and if not what changes need to be made.
So, take some time to tap into your purpose, your vision and dreams, and your values. You might want to begin by completing the following with 10 different answers:
“I Know I’m Being Successful When…….”
Truly successful massage therapists have also discovered that the secret to their success lies in their ability to discover their strengths and natural talents, as well as their ability to organize their life so that these strengths and talents are fully utilized.
What would you say your greatest strengths are both personally, and as a massage therapist? Hint… You might want to ask people who know you well what they think, as often our greatest strengths are things we take for granted. It would be good to make a list of them and look at it often.
Another great resource is the excellent book by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton called, “Now, Discover Your Strengths”. The book comes with an online “strengthsfinder” assessment which I found to be very useful.
When you live your life with your own sense of purpose, your values and your skills and talents at the core, you will find that you are more fully alive, dynamic, enthusiastic and magnetic, and that business success comes more naturally with a lot less struggle.
If you would like help with this, do contact us at the Massage Business Center as one of the things we are most passionate about is helping you discover and integrate these things into your business and into your life.
To your success...
Adapted from the free 28-page workbook, 8 Steps to an Outrageously Successful Massage Practice. Available for download here.
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