6 Steps to Staying Motivated, Enthusiastic and Keeping it FUN!...
as you build your massage business

If you are like me (and most other therapists) there will be days when you are really excited about doing the action steps you need to do to build the massage practice of your dreams. But there will also be those days when you just don’t want to make another call, write another letter, or attend another networking event. Sound familiar?

So it is vitally important to the growth of your business (as well as for your own sanity) that you have tools in place that will keep you motivated, enthusiastic and that keep the business building process FUN! So here is my 6-step process.

1. Know why you want this.

The most important thing that will keep you motivated is having a clear intention… a clear vision of why you are doing this. And the second most important thing is keeping that vision or intention in the forefront of your mind. To help you with this, answer the following questions as honestly as you can.

If you had the level of business success that you want, what would that give you?

And that would give you…?

And the reason that is important is …?

Try to get to the core of why this matters so much to you. Why are you willing to put your time, energy and life force into building a massage business?

2. Create a success ritual or daily success habit.

Success, just like failure, is the result of the little “habits” that make up our daily lives. Stop for just a minute and think about the one thing that you could do on a daily basis that would make the success of your massage business much more of a probability. For example, for someone it may be meditating. For someone else it may be working out at the gym, or a peaceful walk in nature, or reading an affirmation, or reading about or listening to the success stories of others. Do you get the idea?

My daily success habit that I commit to every day is …

3. Reward your efforts.

It is also important to regularly reward not just your results, but also your efforts. So if your goal is to make 10 phone calls, but all you got was answering devices, reward yourself for making the effort. Believe me, in time your efforts will pay off.

So, make a list now of all the different ways you could reward yourself as you build your massage practice.

4. Chunk it down into bite-sized pieces.

There is nothing more disempowering than having a project that is so overwhelming you don’t know where to begin, or so large that you can’t see the progress you are making. For this reason it is helpful to break down your business and marketing goals into bite-sized chunks that are measurable. It is also good to have ways of acknowledging yourself each time you reach a new benchmark.

So take those large projects and goals and break them down into smaller “stepping stone” goals, with a date by which you plan to achieve each one.

5. Have someone who will hold you accountable.

So, you have set your business goals and intentions, and you have chunked them down into doable actions. However, have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to talk ourselves out of doing what we committed to ourselves that we would do? Let’s face it, who will ever know?

For that reason you will want an accountability partner. Someone who will hold you accountable for what you declare that you will do. If you are already working with a coach they would be the ideal person to do this with. If you are not, then you may want to buddy up with a partner who will hold you accountable to what you commit to.

A word of warning however. Make sure that the person you choose will actually hold you to your word. Choose someone who will hold your feet to the flame if necessary. It’s OK if you squirm a bit. In the end, when you have the absolute massage business of you dreams, you will thank them for it.

My accountability partner is …

6. Take time to smell the roses.

And finally, it is also important to take the time to acknowledge yourself each time you reach one of your benchmark goals. I can’t tell you how often this step is skipped, and how important it is. Acknowledging yourself is a way of affirming that you did it, and deeply nourishes your well-being.

Think about how you would feel if you were climbing a mountain and you never once stopped to survey the vista below or to marvel at how far you had come. All you would see would be the task still ahead, which can be invigorating for a while, but can soon grow tiring.

So, acknowledging yourself for what you have accomplished so far clears the way for you to move on to the next level of success. And it can be something as simple as taking a breath and saying “I did it!”, or it could be a trip to Hawaii . You choose.

I will acknowledge myself as I reach key benchmarks along the way by …

Have fun as you build your massage practice and do let me know if I can be of support.

To your success…

Adapted from the free 28-page workbook, 8 Steps to an Outrageously Successful Massage Practice. Available for download here.

About the Author

Elizabeth Fletcher Brown LMT, and Certified Success Coach is the founder of the Massage Business Center, dedicated to supporting massage therapists and bodyworkers in creating financial freedom through their business success.

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Elizabeth is an Expert Author and is regularly featured in EzineArticles.com, the Holistic Health Journal and other related publications.