The Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Bodyworkers

With acknowledgements to Steven Covey for his inspirational book: The Seven habits of Highly successful people.

What makes a really GREAT bodyworker?

During my twenty five year love affair with bodywork I have practised, taught, studied and received massage in many diverse parts of the world including the UK, USA, Europe and Thailand. I have known bodyworkers from many different disciplines and walks of life, from the extreme ends of the “New Age” to the resolutely scientific. I have experienced people working with muscles, bones, auras, Qi, cranial rhythms, Sen lines, meridian lines, manipulating organs, fascia, using movement and stillness. I have seen healing happen through working on the body, off the body and in the deepest layers of the body.

From all of this it has become apparent to me that some bodyworkers “make it” – they are successful, happy, have the practice they desire, feel like they are travelling their life path, and are financially content in whatever way that means to them. Others never quite seem to get there, their practises don’t flourish, clients don’t come back to them, they are scraping a living emotionally and financially.

So what is the difference? What makes a truly great bodyworker? It seems no single quality alone will suffice. I have seen highly gifted and intuitive therapists burn out rapidly as they become overwhelmed with the practicalities of running a business. I have seen therapists who are successful business people and know their anatomy inside and out but who have no sensitivity of touch or ability to relate to clients.

This article attempts to distill the essence of some of those qualities I have observed in the therapists who are living and loving their life and work to the full - the Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Bodyworkers.

Secret One: Enthusiasm

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” Emerson

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm; it moves stones, it charms brutes. Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity and truth accomplishes no victories without it” Bulwer-Lytton

Great bodyworkers LOVE what they do. They are excited, animated and energised by their work. They love to talk about it, read about it and let others know how great bodywork is. And their enthusiasm doesn’t just stop at the bodywork; they are energetic about all aspects of their practice; how they can make their clinic room the most restful and appealing to their clients, how they can design a great business card or leaflet, how they can find the best clinic or colleagues to work with. Enthusiasm is contagious, your clients want to know that you believe in what you do, they want a piece of what makes you buzz. If you are bored by your work, your clients will know and, lets face it, who wants to be around someone who is jaded .

One of my first teachers said to me “I have to constantly find ways to stop myself getting bored with massage”. That is what good massage therapists do- they are fascinated by the body, always finding new ways to achieve better results with their clients, looking for new techniques. If you are still doing the same routine you learned five years ago, chances are you will be bored.

So if you are jaded with your treatments, go and get some training, find new ways to work and break out of the box. Find a colleague to swap with and learn some new techniques. Read a great bodywork book. Surf the internet for inspiring bodywork sites. Rediscover your passion for your work and watch your practice grow.

Secret Two: Perseverance

“Victory belongs to the most persevering” Napoleon

“I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident, they came by work” Edison

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all” Michelangelo

Like these famous characters, successful bodyworkers know the value of hard work and perseverance. Great therapists “keep on keeping on” when things are not going their way, pick themselves back up after mistakes and failures. No matter how talented you are, building a successful practice takes time, work and perseverance. Don’t expect the phone to just start ringing when you qualify; you need to put in effort and good old fashioned elbow grease to get those clients. Remember the old adage “If you love what you do you’ll never work another day in your life”. So love your vocation, work hard at it and enjoy the journey.

Secret Three: Be open to new learning

“As for me all I know is that I know nothing” Socrates

“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge” Disraeli

The fascinating paradox is that great bodyworkers “know their stuff” yet at the same time are comfortable with “not knowing” and are always striving to learn more. Taoist sages claim that “one who does not know actually knows, and one who knows really does not know”. To be empty, to recognize how little we know is to be abundant. Successful bodyworkers are always open to new learning, and recognise we are always beginners with so much to learn. As the great Tom Myers, author of “Anatomy Trains” said once in class “The higher the mountain of my knowledge, the broader the horizon of my ignorance”. Knowing more helps us realise how much more there is to know. In this way, bodywork becomes a precious jewel that will sustain our interest for life.

There is a wonderful story in the book “ Beyond Shiatsu” by the inspirational bodyworker and teacher Ohashi that helps us to understand the importance of always keeping a “beginner’s mind set”

“In the 1970s I gave some sessions to the late prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn. After one of them she said she was attending ballet classes for beginners. I asked her “ Why are you- a famous, top ballerina- taking a beginners basic course with 18 year old kids. She said “If I don’t take this class every day, I can tell it in my performance; and if I don’t take this class for 2 days my choreographer can tell and if I don’t take it for 3 days, an experienced audience can tell”.

This is the essence of mastery – to always be open to new learning, to seek out inspirational teachers and mentors, to use their experience to give you shortcuts to the success you desire.