Yes it is true that we are faced with a challenging economy to say the least. Many people are losing their jobs. As a self employed massage therapist, you are priveledged to have skill and tools that are now neeeded more than ever. Awhile ago I watched a PBS special called ‘Stress Kills’ that talked about the research of Robert Sapolsky who studies stress in animals.
With the economy falling down around us the best thing you can do for yourself is to get regular massage to help keep you relaxed and centered in all of your actions. Reacting to such goings on won’t make anything better. Accepting what is and taking the steps you need to take can help you to stay out of the stress response and act more effectively.
I only caught the last half of the show but one of the most interesting parts is where he talks about a tribe of Baboons that he has studied for 30 years. About 20 years ago they started eating out of the garbage at a resort of some sorts and contracted tuberculosis. The interesting thing is that the Baboons who survived were the ones who were LESS AGGRESSIVE, more socially involved and who were groomed more often!
While massage isn’t grooming like the baboons engage in - getting regular massage is similar in that it is providing the soothing touch that our bodies need to let go of the stress that is internalized all day at the office or wherever you go.
Massage can be the refuge for the world for people to help them get through their many challenges. While people may be short of funds, there are many who also value themselves enough to keep getting massage through these stressful times. To me massage is more than just getting rid of people’s pain or injuries. It helps people to feel themselves more fully and remain present which is the one thing that will also help people go on to find/create new jobs and get through this.
It is a time for us to all come together to start helping each other. It is a time to start becoming creative with your massage business and finding ways to help people who are being impacted by their economic and job choices while not sacrificing your own needs. It is hard not to listen to all the news, but I try not to listen too much so I can just stay focused on what it is that I want and what I am doing to help massage therapists and clients in dealing with the challenging economy.
A friend of mine teaches massage classes at a low cost to hispanic women so that they can bring massage to their families. The history of massage is full of stories of how touch was used in community and in the family. We have gotten so far away from touch at that level but maybe it’s time to get back to the tradition of using massage in family settings. Boys were taught massage at an early age so they could massage their wives in some early cultures. The Blind Japanese massage therapists went out into the streets calling “Anma” out and going into people’s homes to provide massage. I have one massage therapist who wrote an article on my website about starting a church massage group.
What ideas do you have for creating community and promoting massage? How can we use our skilled touch to bring people together? It is almost like this troubled time is just for us to shine and share what we know and support the healing process that is only just beginning.
Finding a job in today’s economy is becoming a challenge in some areas. Part of the problem is that so many massage therapists (and people looking for other jobs too) often think is that a job will meet their needs for security and that when they go to work for someone that they ‘deserve’ to make the highest wages. Jobs just like money are a place where we project many of our unmet early needs which are now unconscious onto. An employer will hire massage therapists and become the power figure telling you what to do and what not to do. Whenever there is a power differential created there is plenty of room for projection.
Many massage therapists just blindly approach their job search without really knowing what they are doing or where they really do want to work. I have my office in downtown Seattle and I can’t tell you the number of phone calls I have gotten through the years with just people with their voices shaking asking if I was looking for someone to hire them. They didn’t bother to look at my website or call to ask what kind of business I was in or even if I was hiring.
If you really want to find a job in the massage profession do your research and find out what kind of job you do want and figure out ‘exactly’ where you want to work. Instead of approaching people blindly go in and get a handful of massages. Get to know the massage therapists there and network with them. Find out if you like the environment, the service, the massage therapists, the rooms - everything.
Figure out what you need to make an hour and how many hours you need to work to pay your bills, take vacations, save for retirement, put the kids through school - everything.
Go into the place or places that are tops on your list and figure out how to get a job interview or find out who you need to talk to. Instead of focusing on what you want from the job - tell them what you are going to do for them. How will you get and retain clients which is the heart of any massage business. Just because you are going to be an employee doesn’t mean you get out of marketing and educating clients. A massage business will be as successful as their massage therapists are at building the business for them.
Show them what you will do for them. How is your massage different from everyone elses? What do you have to offer that no one else offers?
Use the Napoleon Hill of ‘Think and Grow Rich” method of getting a job-
First. Decide EXACTLY what kind of job you want. If the job doesn’t already exist, perhaps you can create it.
Second. Choose the company, or individual that you wish to work with.
Third. Study your prospective employer, as to policies, personnel, and chances of advancement.
Fourth. By analysis of yourself, your talents and capabilities, figure out WHAT YOU CAN OFFER, and plan ways and means of giving advantages, services, developments, ideas that you can successfully deliver.
Fifth. Forget about “a Job”. Forget whether or not there is an opening. Forget the usual routine of “have you got a job for me?” Concentrate on what you can give.
Sixth. Once you have your plan in mind, arrange with an experienced writer to put it on paper in neat form and in full detail.
Seventh. Present it to the proper person with the authority and he will do the rest. Every company is looking for (massage therapists) who can give something of value, whether it be ideas, services, or connections. Every company has room for the (massage therapist) who has a definite plan of action which is to the advantage of that company.
You can read more about finding a job in massage by visiting my website www.thebodyworker.com ’s Job Center and read my lastest article on my blog on “What Massage Employers Want”
