Love what you do. It will love you back.

Dear Students,
as you become more familiar and practiced in your chosen career, confidence will grow and the knowledge you have at your finger tips will provide exciting employment opportunities almost anywhere in the world. But what will set you apart from the competition? What will make you the therapist of choice in the eyes of clients?

Is competence enough?

Training, practice and study (to keep abreast of new techniques and advances in treatments)will build your portfolio and your worth to salon owners. This is all ‘a given’. But is it enough?

Clients seek more than competence

Generally speaking, competence will get you the job; but the final arbiter will be the salon’s clients. They will ask for you (or not) depending on two factors: one is obviously competence – the other is ‘how you make them feel’. During treatment, do they feel that you care about them?

As they leave, do they feel valued as a person – or merely another client? When you wish them farewell, do you feel that you’ve given your all; your heart? The chasm between competence and ‘heart’ couldn’t be deeper.

Clients want to believe in you

Clients will believe in you when you truly love being in service to others. Beyond training and all your accumulated ‘knowledge’ lies not what you ‘know’ but what you want to contribute.

My dear students, my advice is this: put your heart and soul into this. In fact, put your heart and soul into any job if you want a happy and fulfilled career. Offer more than what is expected of you. Be different. Be the therapist people gravitate to and trust. Continue to learn, hone your skills, but remain true to your heartfelt purpose.

You will make mistakes – we all do! But listen to your heart. Stay true to that, because in the beginning (when you are still learning) you may feel jaded, tired, perhaps not so ‘in love’ with what you do. It passes; I assure you.

Clients are just like you

Focus on the person before you. Listen, and gently observe without judgement. Here you have not just a client but a person who has put themselves in your hands. Try to see the experience through their eyes… your ability to do that is crucial.

This is what measures and differentiates you as a therapist and as a person. When you give your heart, clients will choose you and, just like you, follow their own.

Namaste. Saroj