I Am so grateful you “stopped by my little blog.”

I really like what you said about “following a path” for personal fulfillment vs. “reaching a goal” for personal fulfillment.

It seems that a healing profession demands a practitioner to constantly look at their own stories about how they work and do business. For us, I believe that our conclusions are similar: this life is about being on a path that intersects with many people who need what we can do with our healing skills and talents.

There are stories I still operate on today, that motivate me forward to be a much better business-runner but when it comes down to it… my gift is giving good bodywork and whether I run my business like a rock star or like I’m dragging a rock… my personal fulfillment is secure: my work, my healing-facilitation skills get put to good use on good people and this is going to fulfill my purpose.

In a way – success is all bonus after that.

Of course, running my business better would certainly equate to reaching more people and doing more good for more people with the massage talents with which I have been blessed.

It’s both great and a bit challenging to have a path/career that has a natural way of “being it’s own reward.”

Compensation seems to be a values issue and more to do with our emotional and mental states than our actually work outputs. I remember well being in that place of working soooo hard to do a good job, and feeling that the “compensation” in it’s many forms was not commensurate. At such time we get to look at ourselves and learn – hopefully.

While at the time there may be a long list of logical arguments for the ways and hows of what we do; later looking back we almost always realize there was some sort of story in our heads that was just that: a story in our heads.

As we sort through the options of how to “be” ourselves and “do” our work, we eventually recognize what fits and when we are on our own path and not the path laid out for us by someone else. When that happens we also able to better “heal” ourselves through whatever means.

Most profound, I think, is that once we recognize that there is a path of personal growth that serves our deepest purpose, we no longer are driven to arrive at a “goal.” The goal becomes staying on the path; and great satisfaction comes from knowing that you are on the path as well as having the conviction, courage, and persistence to take just one more step down the path.

Having that personal awareness transcends other aspects of interaction with patients and affects them in very deep and positive ways – they pick up on even if we don’t. That then becomes part of our therapeutic impact. It’s a real connection. You have it and people appreciate that about your care when they are fortunate enough to receive it. Keep up the good work.