Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1037165
3. ENJOYMENT (AND CHALLENGE) How do you feel when you head to work? Excited? Content? An overwhelming sense of impending doom? If you're exhausted at the start of the day, that's a signal that something needs to change. Eventually, clients will notice that your massage skills (and passion) are lagging. A few years ago, Allissa got a gentle reality slap from a client. This client said, "It's been a while since you've done anything new. Are you taking any classes soon?" Ouch. That comment and subsequent conversations with other long- time clients led her to see that those trusty old massage skills were getting stale and flat. At the same time, she had slacked off in her marketing. She felt bored. Worse, she felt boring. Allissa enrolled in a class, dove into some online technique videos, and vowed to integrate one new move into her massage each month. Just one. This was a little change that was entirely doable and not at all overwhelming. Her regular clients noticed immediately. It was like a coffee infusion for her practice, which suddenly felt full of new energy and life. USE A TIME MACHINE If you were to go back in time, what would you do differently? We love asking this question! It usually uncovers all the obstacles we've put in the way of our own happiness. We tend to think in catastrophic terms: we can't change our schedule after five years in practice! Our clients will leave if we raise prices or change techniques! But that's rarely true. Yes, change requires work. But the result is a happier, healthier business that serves you, just like you serve your clients every day. Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds can be found at www.massagebusinessblueprint.com, a member-based community designed to help you attract more clients, make more money, and improve your quality of life. A part-time, nonmassage job can be a nice change of pace too. This doesn't make you a failure as a therapist. It makes you a massage therapist with more than one source of income. Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 27