Some people don’t understand my motivation or intention of why I wrote Fired Up and Problems and Solutions, Maybe. I’ve been accused of being mean, negative, and trying to hurt people’s feelings. Unfortunately, they missed the point. (I was also accused of using people’s names to call them out personally, which is just wrong. If you can show me how I did that I will apologize, but I can’t find an example.) For anyone that is confused, I’ll explain it.
Gossip. When someone from our local area walked up on my original conversation at the convention with the state level representatives, I knew what I said would be talked about. I wanted my feelings and word choices to come from me. I didn’t want them to be twisted and manipulated into something they were not. I created some buzz, people are still talking about me, but at least the conversation has to do with what I actually said. Not what another person says I said…
Owning my own behavior. This also plays into the gossip reason. I’m big on personal accountability. I won’t try to deny my actions. Hell, I’m usually the first person to admit what I did. The good, the bad, and the ugly. This was what I said and why.
Connecting. I wanted to find other voices. I didn’t think I was the only person where I live that feels this way. It’s rough being a massage therapist. We give so much of ourselves to our clients and having a sense of “I belong” is helpful. I did find other voices.
Creating a conversation. I don’t need people to feel the exact same way I do. I don’t even need to be friends with every therapist in the area. I do think there is a need for a PRODUCTIVE conversation to occur. I also think for it to be productive, ego and personal feelings need to be set aside.
Stimulating growth. After finding other voices, maybe together we can raise the bar and become something to be proud of. I’m tired of inviting a therapist to a meeting and being met with some version of “No thank you. I’ve never heard anything good about that…” It’s frustrating that so many therapists are being turned off and don’t give it a chance.
Stimulate involvement. Finding therapists that are not involved, help them find their voice, and get involved. "Involved" of course may mean different things to different people, and that's OK too.
I don’t want to be part of the problem. I see the bigger picture and want to be part of a solution. There is a lack of involvement. Apathy is rampant in our area. Mostly, because I think therapists feel isolated. There hasn’t been an opportunity to feel heard. The positive ways to be involved have not been highlighted.
It was NOT a personal attack on anyone. It was not a judgment of education or experience. It was not an attempt to be dismissive of those that have stepped up to be involved. It was intended to voice my feelings. Dissenting opinions are not by definition negative or even “right”. It’s simply a different point of view. The fact that even one person said “thank you” says a lot though. Being dismissive of comments on the blog because there was “only 5”… well that just proves my point of this “us versus them” mentality. For the record, I think that SUCKS! Everyone should be heard even if it’s just one person.
I see potential. There is an opportunity for positive growth, locally and at the state level. I feel there is a difference between being negative and constructive. Someone that is being negative doesn’t offer help or support. Negativity would only bash on problems and offer no solutions. They wouldn’t reach out several times in an attempt to find out positive things that are happening with the massage community in the area. They wouldn’t offer to go to lunch. They wouldn’t send an email about moving forward in a positive and productive manner.
Gossip. When someone from our local area walked up on my original conversation at the convention with the state level representatives, I knew what I said would be talked about. I wanted my feelings and word choices to come from me. I didn’t want them to be twisted and manipulated into something they were not. I created some buzz, people are still talking about me, but at least the conversation has to do with what I actually said. Not what another person says I said…
Owning my own behavior. This also plays into the gossip reason. I’m big on personal accountability. I won’t try to deny my actions. Hell, I’m usually the first person to admit what I did. The good, the bad, and the ugly. This was what I said and why.
Connecting. I wanted to find other voices. I didn’t think I was the only person where I live that feels this way. It’s rough being a massage therapist. We give so much of ourselves to our clients and having a sense of “I belong” is helpful. I did find other voices.
Creating a conversation. I don’t need people to feel the exact same way I do. I don’t even need to be friends with every therapist in the area. I do think there is a need for a PRODUCTIVE conversation to occur. I also think for it to be productive, ego and personal feelings need to be set aside.
Stimulating growth. After finding other voices, maybe together we can raise the bar and become something to be proud of. I’m tired of inviting a therapist to a meeting and being met with some version of “No thank you. I’ve never heard anything good about that…” It’s frustrating that so many therapists are being turned off and don’t give it a chance.
Stimulate involvement. Finding therapists that are not involved, help them find their voice, and get involved. "Involved" of course may mean different things to different people, and that's OK too.
I don’t want to be part of the problem. I see the bigger picture and want to be part of a solution. There is a lack of involvement. Apathy is rampant in our area. Mostly, because I think therapists feel isolated. There hasn’t been an opportunity to feel heard. The positive ways to be involved have not been highlighted.
It was NOT a personal attack on anyone. It was not a judgment of education or experience. It was not an attempt to be dismissive of those that have stepped up to be involved. It was intended to voice my feelings. Dissenting opinions are not by definition negative or even “right”. It’s simply a different point of view. The fact that even one person said “thank you” says a lot though. Being dismissive of comments on the blog because there was “only 5”… well that just proves my point of this “us versus them” mentality. For the record, I think that SUCKS! Everyone should be heard even if it’s just one person.
I see potential. There is an opportunity for positive growth, locally and at the state level. I feel there is a difference between being negative and constructive. Someone that is being negative doesn’t offer help or support. Negativity would only bash on problems and offer no solutions. They wouldn’t reach out several times in an attempt to find out positive things that are happening with the massage community in the area. They wouldn’t offer to go to lunch. They wouldn’t send an email about moving forward in a positive and productive manner.
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