Navigate your “Why”

Over the years that I studied massage, bodywork, energy work, aromatherapy, herbology, I’ve had to revisit my “why”. Why do I do this work? Why am I drawn to it? Why does it give me energy? What am I bringing to my customers daily? How am I working to improve their lives?

There have been times when I thought the pay wasn’t good enough, the hours were too long, the commute didn’t make sense…. on and on. This is when I revisited my why and my how, and even the “when” of my career.

I’m inspired to write this post based on a comment from a massage therapist in an online forum. They basically said that they didn’t really care about their job as deeply as other massage therapists do. They are there for a paycheck. They do a job, they go home. It was in response to some questions I asked over a forum regarding continuing education and how people felt about it. What type of effort do they want to put into it and what kind of return they expect. What are they really looking for? The response seemed to be that they wanted the easiest thing they could possibly do so they could go back to work. They don’t really “geek out about kinesiology”. Some even implied that CE was a waste of time, and they resented the requirement at all.

I get it. We all need the paycheck, we’re not volunteers.

Now I’m going to take you back to your why. And how I navigate my own why after all these years. After all I keep learning, and go to my CE more than I need to admittedly because I AM a geek 😉

When we navigate our why its not about comparing ourselves to others. That’s too basic. Its about discovering what drives YOU. Not anything else. To give great service, you must love it. If you don’t love it, find something else to do. And you don’t have to leave the massage profession for it. There are literally hundreds of different types of modalities. You can have many careers in your lifetime just inside the wellness industry and in the massage and bodywork industry.

When we look at the body we are treating as a paycheck or how much we can upsell, how big of a tip we might get…it changes the energy exchange between the two of you. I know…I just went a little “woo” on you but stay with me here.

Think about the times you went for treatment where you felt listened to, advocated for? Your physical comfort was the practitioner’s top priority? This is the difference.

People can really feel when your touch comes across as exploring for pain and tension OR going through the motions until the clock runs out.

When you ask the right questions not just with your verbal questions but with your palpation and movement the answers can guide you to unlocking the source of pain and tension in the body. When customers feel that YOU love the WORK you do it makes a difference to them. They truly feel nourished and cared for. That’s when you go home energized, not drained, and you start to become surprised by how easy it becomes for you. I believe that this is when money flows easier for you, and a job is no longer a grind, and you no longer have pain and soreness in your body as you work.

So, if you are feeling stuck, unchallenged, bored, or underappreciated in the current place you are in your massage career, I invite you to do a simple exercise of rediscovering your “why”.  You can write it on a piece of paper, in a journal, on the mirror in the bathroom…whatever. Keep it with you for a while though. See if it shifts when you look back on it.

Why did I enter this field?

What drives me?

What gives me joy about my work?

What gives me energy about my work?

If the answers to those questions are not reflected in your current work, then plan to change it by exploring what gets you up in the morning!

Is it dogs? Guess what…there’s small animal massage.

Is it cooking? Well. Maybe learning more about Ayervada and Thai massage herbology treatments is up your ally.

Learn more about the things that give you energy and joy.