It had been a difficult week, the kind that turns shoulders into knots, so I treated myself to a massage. But my favorite girl had moved on, and so I was stuck with some newbie. Great.
Braced for disappointment, I climbed onto Jennifer's table, fibbed "...not really..." at her question about any problem areas (shoulders! hamstrings!) and silently hoped, "Please just don't make me feel any worse."
A dreamy hour later (or was it three?) when Jennifer broke my reverie with a quiet, "How are you feeling now?" I was a complete puddle, every kink relaxed and forgotten.
I ignored her polite intimation that the service was over, sighing, "Hhhow long have you been doing this massage thing?"
Jennifer's face lit up at my interest and very obvious satisfaction. "Fourteen years. I just got my oncology certification."
"You're really very good. Really. Do you like your job?" (Inside I was thinking, "Please say yes, please never leave this job and please, please don't make me leave this cozy room.")
Every so often I run into someone who thoroughly enjoys their work, and this fascinates and excites me. So many people loathe their jobs, and struggle to find happiness there. Don't we want the job lovers' secrets?!
"I feel like this is what I was born to do. I look forward to it every day." She was beaming.
"Wait. What'd you say about oncology?"
"I'm trained to work with cancer patients. I also do prenatal and neuromuscular and orthopedic therapy..."
Understand, Masters are NOT pollyanna dreamers who expect every day to be glittering fun and easy excitement. They are focused, determined realists who accept and even celebrate that there will be no end to their learning or challenges.
Constant development and improvement is the Master's goal, not completion, a medal or an end reward. They also understand that perseverance and some grueling, oftentimes dull effort and always lots and lots of practice is involved in attaining expertise. And that's okay with them. The sacrifice is worth it.
"But I'm no Jennifer!" you insist. "I hate several parts of my job most days of the week!" Then my next free LifeInspired session (see sidebar) is for you.
We'll explore what parts of your current job/life you DO want to master in the coming year and what needs to change. What's worth your time and effort, some hard work, annoyance and frustration? To what are you willing to commit and then persist?
You'll leave with your own private plan for positive motivation; one that makes the most of what you love, and tells the truth about what you don't.
*You should probably visit Jennifer yourself and please tell her I said HI - I LOVE YOU. She works at the award-winning and beautiful Sutera Spa in Flower Mound, TX. Book an appointment at 214-537-1532 or www.suteraspa.com. They will fix you right up.
