First off, I would like to apologize to all the people who have made comments on my blog that are not posted. There has been an ongoing problem with this now for several months and for some reason, no comments are being posted. Management is aware of the problem and is working to fix it. It has apparently affected most of us, not just me. The comments are there in line, they’re just not making it into print, and I’m sorry. I don’t withhold any comments, including those from people who disagree with me, so hopefully this will be resolved sooner rather than later. I do appreciate everyone who has commented on my posts.

Now on to the real topic today, and that’s about attitude. My fellow blogger here, Julie Onofrio, directed me to a website the other day that was full of therapists who were all making extremely negative comments about our profession and how they aren’t making a living, whining about their lack of clients and the general decay of the massage profession. Not being one to mince words (and neither is Julie), I was appalled at what I read and think it’s a bunch of claptrap. I firmly believe that your business can be whatever you make it.

I want to state clearly that the county that I live in is the 2nd most economically depressed county in North Carolina, out of the 100 counties in our state. We have the second highest unemployment rate in NC, and of towns our size, the 13th highest unemployment rate in the nation. And in spite of that, my business is rocking to the point that just this week I took over another suite of adjoining offices, adding four more therapy rooms, and hired additional staff to handle the clients.

We aren’t cheap, but neither do we cater to the rich and famous. There aren’t any celebrities that I know of in Rutherfordton, NC. There are just honest working folks, or I should say, they would be working if they hadn’t been laid off when their plant closed down and moved out of the country. I think when people are stressed out, whether that’s over money or some other reason, they need a massage. Maybe the people who can’t afford to take a vacation this year are getting a massage instead. Whatever the reason, we’re booming, and I’m very thankful.

In reality, I attribute the success of my business to one thing, and that’s the positive attitude of my staff. People feel welcome when they come in the door. They receive the best service we know how to give, and they are made to feel appreciated for choosing to spend their money with us.

I just received my first massage this afternoon from a new therapist I hired a couple of days ago. I don’t believe in making therapists “audition” for a job at my place. I hire them based on attitude. I can teach a monkey how to give a good massage. I can’t teach anybody how to have a great attitude. I’m glad it was a great massage, but the bottom line is, it was her personality and great attitude that caused me to give her a job.

I’m a big believer in the law of attraction, that whatever you put out there is exactly what you’ll get back. So if you’re dragging to work every day with the thought that you aren’t going to make the money you need, the universe is going to see to it that you don’t. I choose to go to work every day trusting that my needs are going to be met, and they have been. If I go to work whining that I’m not going to have a good prosperous day, I am virtually assuring myself that I won’t have one.

You can’t sit around waiting for business to come in the door. You have to go out and get it. You have to make it a point to tell at least two new people a day about your business, and give away at least two of your business cards every day. You have to network with other small business owners and others at every opportunity. You have to be prepared to look at every new person you meet as a potential client. You have to see to it that the clients you do get are so thrilled with your services they go out and tell a dozen other people. You have to work at it! And you have to have an attitude of success, even when your success has not yet arrived.

If you set concrete goals, if you’re working toward them and doing the absolute best that you can, and you don’t give up, it will happen for you. On that note, I’ll sign off with a quote from Thomas Edison: Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close to success they were when they gave up.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

As a massage therapist we are forced to make decisions every day. Really, as human beings we make decisions every day. Ranging from what to make for dinner, to who you should hire to fill a new position, the consequences of our decisions can be long lasting. Making decisions feels very permanent with far reaching effects which causes us to over-think, rather than make the right decision.

This is why many people hesitate and second guess themselves when the time comes to make a decision. When it comes to making the decision they start to think about how they will implement their decision and what could happen if they make a particular decision.

Before they decide, they run through their head how they will implement their decision, what it?s going to cost them, what will happen if they fail?.all the reasons they shouldn?t make a decision.

I would like to suggest a different process to use when making a decision. I was taught this technique from David Neagle and it works very well.  

First make the decision. Put the ?how am I going to make this happen? aside. Don?t think about what others are going to say or think ? put your energy into making the right decision for you. If you need $20,000 to invest in your business, but you have terrible credit and nothing in your accounts receivables, you may start thinking about why you can?t get $20,000.

What I am asking you to do, before you think about how or why, is to make the decision to move your business forward. Make the decision that you are going to manifest $20,000. Just make the decision you are going to do it and nothing else.

Once you?ve made the decision (whatever it is) write it down on a piece of paper. Draw a line down the center of the paper. On the left column write down these words ?Why I can?t?. On the right column write down ?How I can?. Cross off ?Why I can?t? with a big X. You are done with that column. Why I can?t is no longer an option for you. You?ve made the decision to manifest $20,000. The Universe will bring it to you once you make the decision.

Now write down every single thing you can think of for ?How I can?. EVERYTHING; even if it seems crazy and impossible. Once you?ve written everything down, methodically exhaust every item on the list. Somewhere on that list is the solution to making your decision a reality.

It may be that one of the items you wrote down leads you to something else, which makes your decision a reality. The answer is somewhere on that list.

The key is to make the decision without thinking about the how. The universe will make the how happen. Your job is to go through that list tirelessly until you find what you are looking for. In this case it?s raise $20,000.

Here?s an example:

Decision:    raise    $20,000  

      Why I can?t      How I can

                                    Loan from bank
                                    Money from mom
                                    Sell 30 ebooks
                                    Gain 25 new clients
                                    Ask friends
                                    Have a sale
                                    Partner with Marathon
                                    Etc.

Try it. See if it works for you.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is a blogger for both ChiroEco and MassageMagazine and is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Starting a business is really challenging for many reasons,. Somethings can be avoidedn but one thing you will always need for any business is customers. Not just any customers, you want to attract the right customers. Some people might confuse massage therapist for (lack of a better word) “prostitutes”". Please keep in mind that you are educated, you spent your hard earned money to get that education, along with your time to become a proffesional, don’t let anyone insult you and your proffesion. One thing that is really important to me in my practice is proper draping. I tell all potential clients that I use proper draping, and some people become clients and others don’t. If they decide not to get a massage from me because I drape, I don’t take it personally, its their loss, and I don’t want them as clinets anyways. For those people that do become clients, I find that they really appreciate the draping. It makes them feel safe that they are in the hands of a proffesional.

Bee Healthy. Bee Happy. Bee Well…

There is something big happening at the National Certification Board: THEY ARE LISTENING!

I caused a little uproar earlier this year when I scooped their announcement on this blog about the membership organization the NCB was planning to launch.  The response to that announcement wasn’t very cordial on any front; everyone from the certificants to the other professional associations spoke out about it, and I am glad to say that the plan is on hold, according to their press release of Oct. 20.  Ditching it before they spend a huge pile of money on it seems like the best course of action, in my opinion.

According to Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB, the decision was based on “input from the profession.” That is the second time in a week that phrase has been put forth by the NCB, the first being when the announcement was made that the unpopular decision to require proctors for home-study and distance education classes was being rescinded, at least temporarily, until the issue could be revisited.

I’ve been slamming the NCB pretty hard in the past couple of years, and one of my most vocal complaints has been that they don’t listen and they don’t respond.  If nothing else, these two announcements are evidence that they have come to the painful conclusion that they need to wake up and smell the coffee.  I made a personal promise to Mr. Lindamood that I would spread the good news when I thought there was something good to spread, and I’m as good as my word, so here it is.

I applaud every one who contacted the NCB to express an opinion, and I urge you to keep doing it.  I think they may have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it was the headlight of an oncoming train. It has seemed for quite some time that they were just going to crash and burn, which would be a sad end to what was formerly a pillar of the profession.

When the NCB screws up, I report that. I don’t get any kind of pleasure out of doing so; I just think the stakeholders have a right to know.  And when I see the evidence that they’re paying attention to us and trying to do better, I’m fair enough to report that, too. Let’s hope this is a good sign of better days to come.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I am a self confessed science nerd who loves to think things through and then I am just as likely to go with my feelings as my mind. For the big decisions, it is my feeling. My journey has been one of exploring the body, body awareness and body knowledge and gradually making my way back to the science nerd in me and discovering the integrated thoughts and feelings of a 48 year old man. A graduate of the Biology program at Carleton University in Ottawa in 1982, I continued for a year in English and wrote myself into the Creative Writing Program at the Banff School of Fine Arts for the summer of 1983. During the summer I fell in love with a massage therapist, or maybe is was massage therapy or the lifestyle/world- and self-view of a massage therapist. In any case, it wasn?t reciprocated in a romantic way (an example of that massage therapist having competent boundaries!), but I did go on to Calgary to study where she had studied. The rest is history; or rather my story and I will be sharing more of it in this blog!

I can be reached through my website http://www.massagetherapypractice.com or directly by e-mail at alexander2000@sympatico.ca

The grade of essential oil that you use trumps your knowledge of how to use it. You can spend a lot of time and money learning about the different properties of essential oils, but if the oil you are using is perfume or food grade oil, the results you are looking for will either not be there, not be as optimal as they could be, or even be harmful.

The grade of the essential oil that you use is MORE important than which particular oil (lavender, basil, etc.)  you are choosing to use. The first question to ask when choosing an essential oil is: does the oil have the ability to deliver the full content of the plants underlying benefits?

Almost all essential oils say on the label 100% pure or 100 % (lavender) essential oil or therapeutic grade but is the description on the label really what is in the bottle? There are no labeling laws in the U.S. for essential oils so the supplier can label their oil anyway they want.

So, how do you determine if the oil you are using is therapeutic grade? Ask your supplier! You and your clients deserve the highest quality. Anything less will not have the ability to deliver the benefits promised and may actually be harmful.

Ask your supplier the following questions

Now is an excellent time to look ahead for marketing and networking opportunities related to National Stress Awareness Month.  The Health Resource Network recently disseminated this press release:

For the 17th consecutive year, April 2009 has been designated “Stress Awareness Month.” During this thirty day period, health care professionals and health promotion experts across the country will join forces to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

Sponsored by The Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organization, Stress Awareness Month is a national, cooperative effort to inform people about the dangers of stress, successful coping strategies, and harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society.

“Even though we’ve learned a lot about stress in the past twenty years,”says Dr. Morton C. Orman, M.D., Founder and Director of HRN, “we’ve got a long way to go. New information is now available that could help millions of Americans eliminate their suffering.”

Dr. Orman has invited leading health care organizations across the country to develop and disseminate helpful educational materials and other information about stress during the month of April. He is also promoting public forums, discussion groups,and other informative community events.

The Health Resource Network is a non-profit health education organization established in 1982. It consists of health professionals, health promotion experts, and educators committed to developing more effective programs for improving health and preventing disease. In addition to sponsoring Stress Awareness Month, the organization also sponsors National Stress Awareness Day, held every April 16–or the day after income taxes are due!

##

www.stresscure.com/hrn

Now that you know, what will you do to promote your massage practice as an antidote to stress?  I look forward to your creative ideas.

Before writing this I spent a lot of time thinking about some of the issues that many people raise in the educational institutions that I consult for (www.schenkmanconsulting.com)  in their evaluations either as an employee, faculty member or a student. When it came down to it, it seemed like most of the problems stemmed from poor communication, on all levels. That is not surprising and of course the buck stops at management when looking at it from a consulting perspective. However, when I thought about it on a more fundamental level, and from my experience as a stress management consultant for many years, I knew it was mostly a ?human being? problem related to perception and stress. So I thought I would try to express some of my thinking and knowledge regarding the importance of communication in educational institutions (and of course in day-to-day life) and see what some of you have to say or add to this conversation.

Communication is so important and yet is so easily and so often taken for granted and in the process we miss a very important and subtle truth about ourselves. And that is if we look inside and examine how we experience the moment-to-moment events of our lives, it becomes clear that what we often label as stress (our jobs, problems with children, divorce, vacations, traffic, etc.) is not really stress. Rather, these are the catalysts which ignite the ?stress response.? What we experience as stress is a function of our learned perception of events, the way we see things, and not the events themselves. The stress or ?fight or flight? response is an instinctive and automatic self-protective response pattern in our bodies which precipitates more than 1300 known physiological changes as a way of protecting us from physical danger, much more useful in the days when humans had to hunt for their food! However today, our perceptions become the basis of how we see and interpret our moment-to-moment experiences resulting in the manner in which we respond to or interact and communicate with others.  

As these perceptions activate the physiological changes in our bodies, they can stimulate negative or positive emotional states depending upon what they are. It is the negative emotional states that we generally experience as stress and what we refer to when we use the term. I say generally because just as easily, the joy of getting married can as well be a stress catalyzing event depending on how it is being perceived and consequently, dealt with.  

After all it is the quality and depth of communication we experience in our day-to-day existence that will ultimately determine the quality of our lives. When we break down the content of most days, we see that it was filled with numerous interactions with others. And although we may not realize it, we often judge our day on the basis of the quality of those interactions. The remarks we make when we arrive home from work, the comments we may utter after a ?conversation? held with a fellow employee, student or client are generally very telling and are descriptions of the quality of our communications. If at the end of a workday you feel drained, more then likely it was due to difficulties in communications. Breakdown in communication (regardless of whether the breakdown is your fault, the fault of the individual(s) you may be communicating with or both parties involved) inevitably leads to unnecessary expenditure of our own emotional energies. And conversely, some of the most energizing and rewarding experiences we may ever have are those that result from true communication. 

I think we often forget that true communication is accomplished only when there is a real interchange of one?s thoughts, feelings, opinions or information. It is not simply a matter of just saying what you have to or getting what you need ?off your chest.? The key word here is interchange. A true interchange is only possible when what another is trying to communicate is seriously taken in and considered from a place within oneself that is virtually free of our own biases, judgments, views and opinions. In order to really ?hear? what another is saying and be able to appropriately respond, it is necessary that the listener make every effort to suspend their own personal agenda, while at the same time working to consider the position and perspective of the other. Only then can the listener?s response be related and connected to the issues trying to be communicated. Stop and think for a moment if all our communications were like this, how much better the quality of our lives would be!!! By the way, the results of real communication do not necessarily mean that we get our way. However, if real communication is had, you will truly be heard and often that is as important as getting what you may personally want from the interchange. Once people begin communicating on this level, change for the better is inevitable. 

It is very common for a listener to respond emotionally without thinking about what was said by another. It is also very common for people to just blurt out what was on his/her mind in order to ?get in? what they wanted to say ?in the name of communication.? As you can see when you think about this, such ?communication? can only lead to frustration and argument, and accomplishes very little towards the result that either party wants.

When I first started out 20 years ago, there was no such thing really as a job in massage.  People became massage therapists because it was more of a lifestyle choice.  People were looking for independence and the freedom to do as they pleased while making a good living.

Today while the statistics from ABMP and AMTA don’t quite reflect the increase in job opportunities websites like www.citytowninfo.com make it out to be.  Our professional associations still say that more massage therapists start their own business.  I am not sure if that is still true or not.  These type of career and salary sites show such a wide variety of salary ranges it is impossible to really know what is going on out there.

I do know that having more massage franchises has opened up more job opportunities but with the rate of pay so low is that really an advancement?

I get more emails from massage therapists asking me to hire them or tell them where the good jobs are which show me they are really lacking in job seeking skills to begin with.  But the trend from being self employed business owners to more employees seems troublesome to me.   People looking for jobs are seeking security in the form of a job and income.  While there is nothing wrong with that really, it is the rest of the things that go with it.  Massage used to be more of a calling and a way of life.  People came to the massage profession wanting to help others and learned to be of service to others.   Now people are just looking for a job to fill their time and get paid.

How will these recent job trends influence the massage profession?  We don’t even really know since we seem to get such conflicting statistics.

I was also wondering about the increase in the number of Massage Envy like places and was wondering if it would be possible to have franchises that charge more and pay the massage therapists more and also use tools like supervision (not in the usual sense but as in clinical supervision ) which would seem like more of an advancement to me.

I was also reading a really good book by Robert Kiyosaki called “The Cash Flow Quadrant” which describes the employee, self employed person and business person really nicely.  You can read more about it on my blog but it got me thinking that maybe more Franchises are needed that do provide better working conditions, better massages, and charge a reasonable fee (as compared to the cheap fees of some franchises.)

Since jobs seem to be on the rise we may as well figure out how to provide more and better paying jobs.

Many times I am asked about using essential oils for autism.  There are various theories on how autism presents itself, Some of these are: mercury from vaccinations, allergic reactions to wheat, corn, soy, or high glycemic sugars, and other environmental factors.

The question is will using essential oils help someone with autism?

Essential oils contain powerful constituents that can clean out receptor sites that contain agents that block the body from performing natural hormonal functions. These constituents can help detox the body and regulate proper signals to and from the brain and various organs.

In addition, stimulation of the limbic brain through inhalation of essential oils may help to open up the emotional and hormonal centers in the brain, leading to clearer thinking and greater concentration.

In my practice I have found that using essential oils in combination with massage are very beneficial for autism as well as other neurological disabilities.  Essential oils induce emotional responses through their ability to directly access  the limbic brain, as well as their vibrational frequencies that work energetically on the whole being.  This is a potent combination that can sooth, relax, restore self love and self confidence.

People with autism can tend to be touch adverse, but when you present an oil for them to smell or hold this creates an atmosphere of trust and playfulness. From this base of trust you can then introduce touch, very gently by massaging the feet or hands.  I put the oil in the persons hand and then take their hand and have them rub it on their feet.  The feet carry the oil through the body providing a wonderful therapeutic effect. 

Emotional factors are very evident in people with autism and other disabilities. Working with essential oils that can deliver emotionally healing properties as a lead in to whatever other work you would like to do is not only rewarding for the practitioner, but can be life changing for the recipient as well.

The essential oils used must always be pure, unadulterated, unaltered, therapeutic-grade. Please see my past posts for more information.

Warmly,

Maria