One Small Thing that Can Have Huge Impact on Your Business

After years of trying to figure out how to stay in the “game” of working for myself, I have found that the thing that has the greatest impact on yourself and your business is continuing to learn – every day!

I think that there are 3 reasons why training every day or even once a week has a huge impact on your ability to continue to work for yourself:

• Learning Helps Prevent Burnout

Burn out is a real problem in our profession. How do you avoid becoming burned out? You must constantly learn something new to keep the forward progression of yourself and your work. Burn-out is real in many, many professions. A key to prevent burnout is to always have something to look forward to.

Have you ever gone to a training, come back to your job on Monday and been re-inspired to be a massage therapist? You can’t wait to go to work just so you can try what you learned! That right there is the secret to longevity in any career. When you start to feel stale and unmotivated, it is time to learn something new and that has impact on many areas of your business.

New information, helpful resources, motivation, community participation through Facebook groups– all these things help you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself. These are some of the best tools to help prevent burnout.

•  You Learn New Ways to Help Those Around You

 There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to help someone, especially after you have tried really hard to help them.

When someone leaves your massage table and they do not experience the healing effects that massage can offer, it is very common to take it personally. I can’t tell you how many people I have had in my seminars that are there for one specific person and one answer. The one person they couldn’t seem to help.

Learning is a process not necessarily a destination. Massage is a form of art that must be practiced to be refined. Continually learning, practicing and refining all mold you into that therapist you want to be. It takes time and dedication to understand natural healing. That is where you find your answers. You learn how you can help others better as you increase your knowledge and skills.

• You Get Reminded of Why You Went Into this Profession

Being in a profession where we give all the time can be exhausting. I have learned from being a massage therapist for over 30 years, that in order to continue to give you must find what truly drives you to continue to give.

I give because I want to “change the face of pain” – that is my motto. I strive everyday to understand just one more unique thing about the body. When I have new answer to a pain pattern, I get SO excited and want to share it with everyone. My drive is to find answers. I know there is always an answer if you can only find it and understand what the body is telling you.

Sometimes, we forget why we chose this profession. It can be hard. There is more sacrifice than we get paid for at times.

What makes us forget? Running the business side of our business or sometimes the stress from not running it. Keeping it all in perspective takes the reminder of the reasons why you do this important work for people.

What makes you get up and go to work every day? Why do you continue to help those around you? What do you truly believe and how does it guide you?

Answer these questions and write them down. Put them somewhere that you can refer to them often so that you build the momentum in yourself and your business again.

The older I get the more I understand the there are 2 principles for success in everything you do. Consistency and learning- every day. It is the slow, but consistent movement forward that creates the success we are looking for. And it is the passion that we get from learning that keeps us moving forward.

To learn more about how to create and maintain a successful massage business, check out the online training center at Massage Business Methods.

Have a great day and get a massage!

Amy Bradley Radford