Your Prosperity Future

Don’t let the losers crush your dreams! I can guarantee they will try. It’s up to you to prevent it from happening. This is actually one of the first and most important obstacles that any person needs to overcome when improving their life.

The Dream Crushers are people who are having difficulty being successful so in turn they want to make sure that no one else is successful. For them, the first impulse is to tear down anyone who is improving their life or is optimistic and forward moving.  

When there is any bad news, the Dream Crushers feel vindicated and increase their activity.  Invariably the Dream Crushers pop up to challenge any good news or optimistic statements, saying that the information is wrong and that they know that things are actually bad and getting worse. They site all the bad economic news as their proof. The only problem is, they are wrong.

First, yes there are problems in the economy. Some places in the country have been hit very hard. So far, New England is not one of them. There has been a correction but for the most part things are not as bad as the news makes it sound.

Second, there are people who are out of work but it’s still a small percentage in this part of the country. It’s just that we have been spoiled by unemployment below 4%. Compare this to unemployment rates of 8% in France, 9.1% in Germany and 7% in Russia. Our national rates have increased and Massachusetts is now at 5.9% and Maine is at 6.3% as of November.  That’s not a huge increase over the norm and it simply does not support the notion that everyone is in financial trouble.

Third, it is having a minimal or even positive effect on the spa industry in this part of the country. In fact, many of our graduates and teachers are reporting that their business has actually increased. Why? Probably because people are not spending on lavish vacations, instead choosing to stay closer to home and get more spa services instead.

The following information from the ISPA is interesting data on the current state of the spa industry in this country.

• As of June 2008, the number of US spas was 18,089 with Day Spas making up 80% of that number.
• The Industry revenue increased from $9.4 billion in 2006 to $10.9 billion in 2007. The revenue per establishment decreased from $624,000 in 2006 to $607,000 in 2007.
• Spa visits increased by 25% from 2007 to 2008.
• The industry square footage increased from 56 million in July 2007 to 60 million in June 2008. The square footage per spa decreased from 3,843 to 3,310 in the same time period.
• Spa industry employment increased for the industry and establishments from July 2007 to June 2008. It’s interesting to note there was a steep drop in employment per establishment between 2002 and 2003 (by about 1/3) that has remained fairly constant.

• The number of spa locations in the US has grown an average of 20% in the last eight years.
• Location growth continues to outpace revenue growth.
• Visits per spa have leveled out.
• Total industry revenues have been growing an average of 13% since 1999.
• The increase in spas and consumer demand has led to an increase in overall spa employment of 31%.

Credit ( http://www.discoverspas.com/news/newsstudies23.shtml )

The point is, the industry has been growing rapidly. Whenever this happens there are a lot of people who jump in who are under qualified and have more dollars than sense. However, the people who have excellent training, run an energetically high quality and efficient organization and do a good job retaining clients have very solid and sustainable businesses, even during difficult economic times.

What happens when an economy contracts is that the weak companies disappear and the strong ones get stronger. The people who have the best training and have the skills to succeed will actually be busier than ever when the economy picks up again because there will be less competition. I have seen this in many industries over the years (the advantage of being old). That’s why this is a great time for people to get the training they need to take advantage of the coming recovery in the economy. All contractions are followed by a surge of demand.

So don’t let the Dream Crushers step on your dreams for the future. Make a plan for your future and get the highest quality training you can get to make you successful. It may take hard work, dedication and resilience to fulfill your dreams, but in the end, there is no better life than one that is based on doing what you love.

We look forward to helping you succeed.

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute

 © Copyright 2009, Kris Stecker – All Rights Reserved.

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I know it’s a cliche but Happy New Year. Really. I hope you have your most amazing year yet.

Here’s how to make this year amazing. Write down (or video) what you want this year. My preference is written, not typed, as it uses a different part of the brain.  But however you do it, consciously recording what you want is extremely powerful.

Check it out:  (From a Harvard experiment done on a group of MBA students) The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. And what about the three percent who had clear, written goals? They were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.  (From – http://www.lifemastering.com/en/harvard_school.html)

It really works. Spa Tech Institute is the result. Try it. What do you have to lose but an hour? I like to spend at least a day on yearly goals. I also revisit them throughout the year.

By setting your goals and writing them down, you are wiring your brain and attention to identify the things that move you towards your goals. It’s like when you’re thinking of buying a new car, and particularly if you know what you want to buy, you suddenly start seeing them everywhere you go. Or you buy a new coat and suddenly see other people that have the same coat.

If you really want to make this an amazing year, make your first goal to set weekly goals for the month of January. Take 10 minutes and just make a list of goals for the coming week. If you do this just for January you can see if it works for you.

Simple Instructions

1. Make it fun and easy. Don’t try and build Rome in a day.
2. It can be a list or a narrative (i.e. This week I want to write my yearly goals, call my friend in Boston to go out to dinner, pick up my….etc.)
3. A consistent place to record it makes it more fun because then you can see what you have accomplished from the prior week. (I like to highlight with a green marker when it’s done.  I do this so I can see it is done and I can still read what it was. Seeing all of the green makes me happy and motivated to do more. Pick you favorite color.)
4. If you wrote down your long term goals, quickly review them before you write down your weekly goals.
5. Don’t be afraid to change them. If a goal changes, that’s good. It means you are getting clearer about what you really want. I highlight those in orange so I can see what it was and I know it changed.
6. Celebrate every time you complete, add or change a goal.

By following these simple steps you will accomplish more and feel more relaxed and in control of your life.

I look forward to your feedback and questions.

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker
Spa Tech Institute

p.s. Your comments and questions are always appreciated. Simply reply at the end any of the topics. Thank you.

© Copyright 2009, Kris Stecker – All Rights Reserved.

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