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 I received an e-mail from one of the many people who typically send press releases for possible inclusion in the magazine back in December. However, instead of a press release there was a beautiful quote attached, which immediately triggered the “editor’s note compartment” in my brain. This is a fabulous quote! The minute I read it I knew it was completely perfect for this month’s Skin 101 issue.
“The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.”
~Robert Fulghum (1937- ), American author, from Quotable Business (Random House, 1998), Louis E. Boone
How often have you said things to yourself like: “Beautiful You Spa down the street has way more business than my current place of employment, if only I could go there I would make so much more money”; or “If I could learn the newest trendy treatment, I could significantly increase my clientele”; etc? Aren’t we all guilty, to some degree, of this syndrome of looking outside of ourselves for reasons why we aren’t as successful as we think we should be? From a distance things always seem so much better. Take my first hypothetical for instance. Yes, it is possible that Beautiful You Spa (BYS) has many more customers, but they may also have more providers. So in the end you may find yourself with the same number of clients or less because there are more providers taking from the pool. Or maybe BYS offers a compensation plan that is less than your current plan. There are a whole host of reasons why BYS isn’t a better fit for you.
The reason this quote tripped my trigger is this – you can look outside of yourself all day long or as an industry we can look to other industries, such as the medical industry, for growth potential, but the truth is growth lies within us. Education is the key, and as the saying goes, knowledge is power. Individually, you must begin by learning everything there is to know about Skin – The Largest Organ of the Human Body. As an industry, we have to ban together as professionals (a skilled practitioner; an expert – as defined by dictionary.com) to set a standard of education for tomorrow that is far greater than that of today. What you do every day in your treatment room is less about the product you are using and more about your knowledge of the skin under your hands and how you can affect a change.
It is time to ‘tend’ yourself and this industry. If you want to be and be regarded as a Professional then resolve to make 2008 the year that you water the grass under your own feet. Don’t be afraid to take a basic class or two this year; one cannot truly grasp advanced education without a firm foundation.
Start Making a Difference,
Saundra
P.S. Thanks for the quote Edward!
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