Knowledge -> Confidence -> Respect -> Success
As you start your massage journey you will begin by gaining knowledge about the body (others and yourself). You will learn terminology, functioning, and mechanics. The concepts that you learn will begin to expand into life outside the classroom and clinic setting and into the real world that surrounds you.
With proper knowledge and development of hands-on skills you will gain confidence in both your work and yourself.
With this increased confidence and knowledge, you will begin earning respect from those surrounding you. Others will begin to look at you as a reliable source of knowledge and a leader. This will reinforce your confidence and encourage the development of new skills and opportunities.
After time has passed and you begin to zero in on your preferred area of the field, you will begin to find what they call a niche (where you discover a comfortable and suitable position in your work and in life). This niche may be related to certain knowledge, techniques, or skills that come to you naturally. Through progress in practicing and developing these, others will begin to recognize you as an expert.
As you develop and nurture and find your niche it will become more recognized and those that surround you will want to understand your knowledge and confidence. As people wish for you to start showing them your skills and techniques (such as mentor or teach others) you will realize you have reached a level of success.
However, success does come in many forms and stages. This is my personal version; it can be defined differently by the individual. Success can be small or large, sometimes the little victories are the most personally important. They can be as simple as making a change within your current life. They can be represented by a family member recognizing how hard you are working. Even being told how “proud” someone is of you can be a personal success. Perhaps your version is also to achieve the fulfillment of owning your own business.
Success can be measured, whether small or large. No matter what your end target or goal…success starts with knowledge!
Copyright By: Todd Valentine (2006)
Re-visited and written (2021)