It’s the start of a new year and that means that many of us are taking stock of our lives and setting goals for ourselves in order to improve those lives. A common New Year’s resolution is improved finances, often through a better job or a new career such as massage therapy.
Going back to school for a new career is a big and bold decision and it is easy to understand why you may wonder if it is in fact, the right decision. You may be having doubts about attending massage therapy school, wondering how it will affect your life. Well, you’re not alone.
When making a change in our lives, sometimes our own minds try and slow us down by casting doubt on our decision. We have all experienced this. We get excited about something, say getting married, moving to a new city, or even buying a pricey pair of shoes, and the little scared voice inside of us starts wondering ‘what if . . .?’.
We conducted an informal survey of the “what ifs” that most students wonder about when they’re debating whether or not to go back to school and we’ve categorized them for you and will also help dispel the myths behind each one of these doubts.
Below is a list of the mental obstacles that we all struggle with on our path to success. Make a note of how many of these nagging doubts have crept into your consciousness and follow this series to see each one debunked.
It’s a new year and time for a new career. Don’t let doubt keep you from success.
Personal
- I worry that changing my career will harm my marriage
- I don’t have time to change my career
- What if people are gross and creepy?
- Isn’t it exhausting?
- I don’t like touching people/I don’t like people touching me
- Everyone in school/practice is a hippie type
- Seems too intimate/Awkward/Don’t feel comfortable doing it
- I don’t want to take the spot from someone who might really use it
- All classes are about anatomy and physiology
- Massage therapists only work in spas
Business/Financial
- Won’t make enough money
- Poor marketing skills
- Oversaturated job market in the area
Physical
- Not strong enough
- Too old/Too short/Too thin/Too tall/Too heavy
- I think I am too old to make a change
- Have carpel tunnel already developing
- It will burn out your bod
- Back pain
- Old injuries