It’s All About Focus
Have you ever driven someplace and not remembered the ride? Have you ever been giving a massage and can’t remember if you did the left arm? Have you ever typed an email but don’t really remember actually hitting the keys or what you wrote? If you are honest, you’ve said yes to at least one of those scenarios. It is impossible to stay focused and present 100% of the time. All we can do is our best.
I raced in a triathlon last weekend and it was a long course. That means I had quite a bit of time in the water and while I was swimming, I was thinking about focusing. It dawned on me that the topic of focus might make a good blog post. So I started writing this in my head, while I was swimming, while I was racing. Guess what happened? My swim time was awful!!! Sure I was able to multi-task but I didn’t keep my eye on the prize, didn’t concentrate fully on what I was doing and my performance suffered greatly. It’s a lesson for everything.
While life is busy and we are all clamoring for more time, being present is equally important. Especially in our line of work, being in the moment for the entire hour (or whatever length of time you work) is critical to success. I won’t lie and say that it can be done 100% of the time but try your best. When you notice that you lose focus or drift, quietly bring yourself back to what you are doing.
Simply put, your performance will suffer when you lose focus. That might mean while giving a massage, talking on the phone with a friend, doing homework with your kids or even reading quietly. When your mind drifts, you are taking energy away from the task at hand. For the sake of good business, stay engaged with your client for the amount of time they are paying you for. It’s their nickel; give ‘em all you got.
Stay focused!
Absolutely agree with you! I love what you said towards the end of your article, “it’s good business…” and “their nickel…” more therapists need to remind themselves of that fact. I believe the most successful therapists are those that follow that principle.
From another perspective, drifting into an Alpha state while working on a client can be very rewarding in that you allow your intuition to do what needs to be done and you leave your “mind,” i.e. left brain out of the equation. That happens to me when I tune into the client’s body. I let their body “dictate” the work to be done on them and a lot of the time I don’t recall why I did it, but it was what they needed. I have found this to be very helpful in releasing/relaxing tissue in order to perform deep work without the pain that neuromuscular/deep tissue can have. The patient is more relaxed and receptive to the work.In a relaxation massage it is an awesome experience for both parties as you let the music guide you in the session. Try it and see how much more you enjoy the work and how much more you can accomplish by getting out of your own way.