Let's Grow

According to the Department of Labour between 2006-2016 massage is expected to grow 20 percent. I think that massage will grow more than 20 percent over the next 10 years. Along with other forms of alternative medicine and the fitness industry which expects a 27 percent increase, massage will be one of the top fields to be in. I see the trends that many are taking in control of their lives and wellness and I don't see it slowly down any time soon.

Massage will grow in the medical field not only with medical massage but also in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, etc. An increase in on the job massage(chair massage) will continue. Chair massage is great for desk stress, inactivity and poor concentration on the job to name a few. If you can really help people in a shorter time period you will be a life saver to hundreds of people. Believe me!

Another field related to massage is Teacher/Instructor. As the times are changing, this industry needs forward thinking instructors and forward thinking schools with vision. Like the majority of our public schools throughout the USA which have not changed the curriculum for over 60 years, we can't fall into that same rut. Schools must not just see the 20 percent job growth as a way to make money on their students but give them a 110 percent education that will help them grow which will help the industry grow. Most schools control their curriculum so a knowledge of the current client needs have to be studied and serviced for future growth.

For those who wish to read more check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010.

Where there is no vision, the people perish--Proverbs 29:18

Grab A Book

I have been on a run lately. I can't seem to stop nor do I want to. My mind has opened in new ways and I see the world, the universe so differently. What has spark this revelation? Reading my friends, reading. In fact one of those books is the Suggested Reading for the week.

Now I have always like to read but something happened recently and I started reading even more. I saw Gifted Hands and read Think Big, both of which is about Dr. Ben Carson. Anyway reading about his life and how his mother encouraged him and his brother to read and expand their minds fired-up something in me. I followed the advice and now I can't stop. I'm reading a book a week and then some.

In my reading(study) I ran across a Les Brown video which he states that he reads at least two hours a day of something positive. Zig Ziglar reads three. All kinds of successful people read everyday to expand their information not only about their field of work but to feed themselves positive words. This is energy!

Now for me I break it up, hour or more of positive information and a hour or more of work related information. The average American reads one book a year while a book a week nets 50. Someone who is continually learning is becoming a expert in their field, learning up to date information while the other is not. Both my mentors are well read and of course are experts in their fields. My brother is well read and is also a expert is his field. Now they are not experts just from books but the information sparked something for them which totally changed them as people.

If you want to grow your business and expand your mind you must feed both with the necessary vitamins and minerals to keep it stimulated. We are in the Mind stage of life. Those that know grow.


Gain Knowledge and all other things will be under your command--Jerome Amos

Work Ethic

Back in April 2009, I wrote about three Chicago therapists that you should know. Well almost a year later I want to follow-up with one of those therapists, Manuel Cruz. Now in these great times we live in, we may be required to work in different places or areas of our field in order to succeed. Manuel embodies that mentality.

If you are looking for a great massage and bodywork he can be located at the National College of Naprapathy as the featured therapist in their professional clinic. He is there Tuesday and Thursday from 2-7pm. For information click Here.

Now if you are looking for a massage therapist with your chiropractor he also works at two chiropractic offices: Progressive Chiropractic and Core Chiropractic on Mon, Wed, Fri and Saturday. And if you are interested in learning massage techniques like Thai Massage and more traditional massage Manuel can be found at the Discovery Center as well. For the Discovery Center's schedule click Here.

Now the reason I'm putting the spotlight on Manuel is because of his work ethic and willingness to work lateral. In today's market there is a need for flexibility and versatility within your chosen field. If there are very few opportunities for your skills then perhaps you may need to look at other areas of your field that you may not have given any thought to. Maybe that will lead to something interesting, life changing, rewarding and keep food on the table and joy in your heart.

You must continue to grow or the eternal march of time will pass you up--Jerome Amos

The Tool for March

Every month I will feature a massage tool from my tool kit . These are tools that I use myself and find very helpful in the area of chair massage. Oddly enough I was going to start this segment with another tool but two of my chair clients ordered this tool last week, so I had to talk about it. One of the clients actually ordered two rollers.

The Omni Massage Roller is the tool for March. This is a great hand held tool that I use daily for warming-up muscle tissue as well as "smoothing" out an area after trigger point work. The more pressure you use the deeper into the tissue the Omni will go. You can use the the Omni on the back, shoulders, hips, glutes, thighs, legs and the bottom of the feet. Now you can do this all in the massage chair! My clients love this tool !

Another use for the Omni Roller is how effective it is as a diagnostic tool when using it on the back and hips. A client may experience tickle sensations. Now any student of Tony Zayner or myself would know that tickle is one of the stages in the progression of pain. The tickle is very early on the progression chart so healthy muscle tissue is not far away. I like to use it early in a session and then come back toward the end to see if the tickle feeling is still there. If you did your work effectively it wont be.

You can click on the picture to your left for more info.


You gotta have the right f------ tool for the damn job--George Susa (landlord)

Super-Man

We can all be Super-Men and Super-Women we just have to get rid of our Krptonite; our negative thinking which robs us of our strength.--Nepa Jubashen

Change

Welcome to the new nepa.tism! Today I want to introduce David Palmer. Now I have never met Mr. Palmer myself but he has been an influence on me. You see in 1986 David Palmer introduced the "modern" massage chair. In the picture above you can see him with his very first massage chair, literally a chair in a box. It was quite different from the massage chairs you see today.

Now in the early eighties David Palmer starting work doing massage from a seated position. This was basically massage while the client was sitting on a chair or stool. This in itself was nothing new but innovative if you want to bring massage to the masses. It was this same mindset which got him in the door of Apple Computer in 1984. Now working on Apple employees brought national media attention to chair massage as well as Apple.

Two of my favorite things Apple and Chair Massage. A good combination!

As the eighties had its' ups and downs so do we in 2010. Even David Palmer's company Zubio has fallen because of the economy. (For more info on Zubio click HERE.) What that means is a chance to find a way. Find a way(s) to achieve your goals, work your plans and bring something fresh and useful to others. If you can't find a way, Make One!

David Palmer said: I want to change the world! He did.


"We will either find a way or make one".--Hannibal