Nobody ever said business was easy. It’s often a very stressful endeavor. The irony is seldom lost on people within the massage industry. A massage therapist’s career is based on taking the stress away. But it doesn’t mean that massage therapists are themselves immune from stress. In fact, it’s often the exact opposite scenario. The people who care about relieving stress in others often take on far too much in their quest to help others.
But there’s an old saying which suggests working smarter rather than harder. In the case of massage therapists, this suggests thinking outside the box. To begin, it’s best to focus on the goal rather than an assumed necessity in how to get there.
The path to the finish line
In a standard race, one is stuck running over a set path. There are no allowances for shortcuts or diversions. There’s a certain irony to most races. The goal in a race isn’t really getting to the finish line. Instead, the goal is a bit more set in stone. One’s goal is to follow a simple set path along with everyone else in order to reach a set goal line.
The suggestion here should be clear with a little thought. In a race, there are no allowances for thinking outside the box because doing so would destroy the whole purpose of the event. But within one’s own life, the goal is the whole point. It doesn’t matter how one reaches personal goals because they’re more metaphorical. The journey can certainly be enjoyed. But the main point is to simply make one’s personal goals happen.
For a massage therapist, the goal is financial success in a way which helps people feel good. And this should be accomplished through massage. But beyond that one can put a wide amount of thought into how to best accomplish this task.
Consider your tools
The first step involves considering one’s tools. A good place to begin is through an online catalog such as the one found with Earthlite massage supply. Going over the tools there can provide a good brainstorming foundation.
How do the tools make you feel? If you weren’t in the business, what would you think of people describing them? And how would you describe them to people outside the industry? Basically, how would you make people understand what you can provide them? In order to think outside the box, you need to understand your toolbox.
Your most important resource
Of course, your most important resource is your own mind and imagination. The fact that you’re working in the business world yourself also gives you some unique insights. Most people working in the business world experience stress. In fact, stress relief is one of the more popular topics in the business world.
That might not seem like a very important fact at first. But you should let it work with your experience and imagination. You might be stressed, but you probably have some solid tools in place to work with it. But most people don’t have your understanding of the subject. And, in fact, you probably work near many of them.
If you’re in an urban environment, you might well be in a building shared with tons of stressed people. And if not, they might be located nearby. And that’s not even touching on how many people you might personally know.
Assess everything you have and then make use of it
If you’re used to giving a massage, then you probably have another talent in your toolbox. You’re probably good with direct communication. You can get ahead in your business by using that with stressed out people in your environment. Talk to the other people in the building or area. See if they’re stressed and if you might be able to help. And if you do, remember to ask them to tell people they know.
The real way to think outside the box involves interacting with everything. You need to pay attention to people, how they’re feeling, what they want and what they need.
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The Bottom Line
The lesson is that people need to listen to their body. But the stressful world usually makes this hard. The body essentially needs an advocate to speak for it. And by thinking outside the box, you can make sure that the advocate people need is actually there.
