Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68012
'ROUND THE TABLE Please e-mail your 'Round the Table submissions (200 words or less) to darren@abmp.com. Submission does not guarantee inclusion. Also, due to space constraints, your material may be edited. UPCOMING TOPICS "My work is a gift. My practice is the forum for offering it." Lesley Pearl Chicago, Illinois Bodywork can be a demanding profession. How do you mentally and physically care for yourself? What strategies have been the most successful in getting clients to rebook after a session? Tell us about one thing that's made you a better MT. DEADLINE April 15 June 15 PUBLICATION DATE July/August 2009 September/ October 2009 August 15 November/ December 2009 Quite simply, I don't see the two as mutually exclusive. A teacher once told me if I wasn't marketing my business, I was being stingy. Those words stuck. My work is a gift. My practice is the forum for offering it. It is my job and my obligation to share my vision and my vocation with as many people as I can, so that those who may benefit are able to find me. Remembering this, the business of my business is a spiritual practice. LESLEY PEARL CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Why do you have to consider each separate? Don't you call your local physicians, dentists, or optometrists entrepreneurs? Are not their clinics considered and run as businesses? Are the services they offer to the public "less" because they accept money as payment? We all need to live and have bills to pay. It's hard to do this if you have a hang-up about running a business. There is nothing wrong in considering what you do a business. It does not make you less of a holistic practitioner. Separate yourself from what you do. And now, there are more technologies out there to make running a business less of a hassle, so you can focus on your clients. I consider myself a holistic therapist and the services I offer (including receiving payments) a business. Free, philanthropic services are donations for charity, also considered part of a business. If you still need to have a bridge, then build it from your perception, attitude, and energy. KIMBERLY A. ROGERS WAUPACA, WISCONSIN visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 31