Your Prosperity Future

A recent Facebook comment about being laid off stimulated this post. My first reaction is to say: Congratulations. You have graduated from what you were doing and now you have the opportunity to go to your next level. Of course, I seldom say it out loud because most people are not ready to hear it in that way. They are dealing with their anxiety about not knowing what’s next.

It’s important to know how to go from loss to prosperity. Whether you do this for yourself or your clients, it’s an important skill to master.  This creates the foundation of what we do at Spa Tech Institute.

As an agent of positive energy (which describes anyone who is working on prosperity) the more you help others to reach their highest potential, the more prosperous you become as well.

For people who are laid off or part of a company that fails, the experience is ultimately a loss or death and follows a predicable emotional pattern. This also applies to all losses: Death, divorce, financial loss and other similar events. Because  it applies to financial loss as well, we are surrounded by a lot of people who are going through this experience now. Even if you did not lose your job, if you had a 401K, property or other investments, you have lost a lot in the last couple of years.

The question is: How can you stay positive and focused on the next level of manifestation after this happens?

FIrst, think of this as a graduation. It’s a completion, not a loss. Many spiritual traditions require new members to give up worldly possession, relationships and other things. When a person goes into the military, they shave their heads and erase their identity so they can become part of a new culture. This process shakes people up and gives them a chance to change.

Second, whenever there is a loss, most people go through the 5 stages of grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Whether you quit a job or are laid off, graduate from school or move out of a house, be aware that this is a normal process. The more aware of the stage you are in, the faster you can move through it.

But how does this fit in with manifesting what you want? It’s simple. The 5 stages are all part of your transformation and evolution. At first you will be walking around in a daze. Then you will move on to being mad, etc. Ultimately, it’s our resistance to change at the heart of the struggle. Once we accept change we can move on to creating what we want in the world.

If we are able to treat all change as a graduation from one state and an opportunity to start something new, we can look at the situation as a positive event. It may take a while to get to that view but the faster we can move into it, the less likely we are to get stuck in one of the 5 stages of grieving.

One of the other great benefits of loss and the 5 stages of grieving is that it gives you a chance to identify what really matters. Most people eventually discover (after they have moved on to their next opportunities) that they really needed the change and were tired or bored of what they were doing. I think that people are far more powerful than they realize in creating the changes they need in their lives. For instance, ask yourself, were you getting up every morning looking forward to going to work or were you dreading it. Did you look forward to the weekend and vacations more than Monday mornings? What does that tell you?

So as you look at your situation, pay attention to what your inner voice is saying. Many people I know, even the ones who say they love their work, really mean that it is the best job that they can allow themselves to have. In other words, they love their job more than other jobs, but they don’t really love what they do. Again, the proof is in looking at what days you look forward to the most: Days off or days at work.

At this point you may be wondering what I’m smoking. Of course, nothing but energy. When you really love what you do you have a deep passion for it that fills your imagination and inspires you to contribute. Finding what you really love is the surest path to bliss and excellent health. It also gives you the prosperity that you deserve.  I know from personal experience. I have had good jobs that I did not look forward to going to. And I have also found what I love to do. It is very different. I’m also surrounded by a lot of people who either already are doing what they love or are learning to do what they love.

There is nothing that makes live exciting as doing what you are meant to do. Every day is an adventure. 

Be well and prosper,
Kris

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We have been hearing that people are doing well and this article in the NY Times confirms some interesting findings from spa industry leaders that supports what we have been hearing from our graduates.

The bottom line is that the current levels of stress are sending people to spas and clinics for stress reduction and well being instead of just pampering. Whereas the benefits of the pampering were appreciated during good times, the realization that coping with stress was essential, is changing the way the industry markets to clients. It also holds powerful ramifications for the future.

With the view that massage and spa treatments are a necessity instead of a luxury, the long term prospects for the industry take on new proportions. What has happened is a change in behavior on a fundamental level. Once behavior is changed, it is an enduring change. It also creates an even more loyal clientele who will be likely to refer others in the future.

Because of the length and depth of the recession and the amount of money that has been pumped into the system, when the economy starts to increase again, it could be dramatic. I expect the pace will pick up even more and the stress levels will continue to increase dramatically. As people try to make up for lost time the pressure to succeed will be even greater and people will need even better support systems. And that is going to increase the demand for massage, polarity and spa professionals.

Remembering that it is still a relatively low percentage of the population that realizes the value of this work is very exciting. It means there is still tremendous upside to the growth of the industry. And to see how well the industry has held up during economic stress is really exciting. It had never really been tested as severely as during this economy. But the word we still are hearing from many of our graduates (particularly those who have their own businesses) is that they are busier than ever.

Again, this does not mean that there are not practitioners or companies that are not having problems. Recessions always expose the weak and reward the strong. When some companies are thriving in a down economy it highlights that it is not the industry that has a problem, it’s the company or person who is struggling who needs to go to the next level.

This is why the school offers this blog as well as many CEU classes, the Merit Scholarship, RYSE and a 20% tuition credit for all of our graduates so they can continue to improve their skills in all areas. We know that continuing to learn and grow is essential to retaining and attracting new clients. Self-care is also incredibly important since being healthy, positive and uplifting is essential to giving your clients the best possible experience.

For people who have been thinking about becoming a massage or polarity therapist, aesthetician or cosmetologist, the future remains bright. The people who have been successfully doing this for 3 or more years are going to see their business expand dramatically in the coming years. They are going to need help. And the government has increased Federal Financial Aid because it knows that people need education to get better jobs. The really great thing about these industries is that they can never be replaced by the Internet or outsourcing.

So keep up the great work, continue to increase your skills and you will continue to prosper and help others to do the same.

Sincerely,
Kris

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Optimism is a powerful choice that is at the root of your prosperity. The reason is simple: optimistic people are healthier so they can act on opportunities. This was supported in a recent study that found optimistic people were significantly healthier and happier than those who were not optimistic.  

But the most important part to remember is that it is a choice.  I know from personal experience that this is true. When I was younger it was very fashionable to be pessimistic to the point of being cynical. The reasons for this are complex and important to understand. The facts are that until I learned to change my view to optimism, I was more frequently sick and unable to see or act on opportunities that could have changed my life.  

Understanding why people choose to stay stuck in pessimistic attitudes is a good starting place. As with all behavior there must be a perceived benefit or people would not choose it. Probably the most fundamental benefit is that it allows people to avoid responsibility for their reality or their failure. Or at least that’s the underlying belief. After all, if the world is fundamentally against you, then it’s not your fault that your life is difficult. It can be blamed on a wide range of external forces that you have no control over. 

This strategy works provided the people around you don’t understand the mechanics of manifestation. For those who have moved towards self-actualization it is clear that you create your reality by the choices you make. When people around you don’t give you a waiver for the difficulties in your life, you can’t get handouts and welfare. When the people in your life push you to be responsible for your life, you are forced to take action to change your life and succeed. 

For many young people a pessimistic attitude has served them well, getting teachers and parents to give them what they want. The reinforcement of this pattern results in pessimism being a default setting in people’s lives. This is seen in cultures that have relied on welfare for multiple generations.

So how do you break out of the pattern? 

1. You have to want to break out of it. This usually only happens when a pessimistic attitude stops providing the benefits that someone once got from this behavior. It often happens when people lose their safety net and have to create their future.
2. Some people come to it by studying successful people who are masters of manifestation. (“Think and Grow Rich” is a great book for stimulating this awareness.)
3. Others are brought up by parents and educators who teach this information from an early age. These are the lucky few.

After you have the realization that you are the creator of your reality, the next step is to maintain a positive outlook. Here are some pointers to help you stay optimistic.

1. Surround yourself with optimistic people. It’s very difficult to be optimistic around pessimistic people. They will actively attempt to make you pessimistic. Why: Because they know that you are going to change and improve and it will demonstrate their lack of ability to succeed.
2. Surround yourself with optimistic media. So much of the media is biased towards generating fear. I lived without a TV, radio or other mass media like magazines for about 10 years. During that time my optimism increased and I was successful at changing my perspective. I also became keenly aware of the use of fear in all media, particularly advertising. Just look at a series of ads and ask the question, how are they using fear? The message almost always shows that you will fail (to be attractive, smart, wealthy or healthy) unless you use the product.
3. Surround yourself with positive images and sounds. Pay attention to the pictures or view that you see and the music that you listen to. Is it uplifting, healthy and focused on success or is it about loss, harship and pain?
4. Actively write about your vision for a perfect future and break it down into next steps that will move you closer to what you want to achieve. Next steps are the most powerful way of staying positive because it keeps you focused on what you can control.
5. Know that just because you are optimistic does not mean that there will not be challenges or obstacles. While hiking in the mountains I realized that the people who get to the summit in the best shape are the ones who enjoy the challenge of exertion, not the ones who only have the goal of getting to the top.  They actually thrive on the challenge or stress of fighting gravity to make it up the mountain. Every step is a victory. Because each step is a victory they are propelled to the summit by thousands of victories.

By understanding and following these concepts, you can have more of what you want in your life. You will be healthier which will give you the energy to act on the opportunities that others don’t see. As with all things that are powerful, it’s really simple.

I look forward to seeing you succeed on many levels. 

Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute

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In the words of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, “Don’t Panic.” (If you have not read it yet, you owe it to yourself. It’s a good primer for living.)

Wall street and the global stock markets can be misleading. They measure speculation of supply and demand. The economy is not the stock markets. So when you hear a lot of doom and gloom about the markets, remember: Real value is what you do with your life.

Of course, there are a lot of people who are seeing their life’s monetary savings shrink. This is very frightening if you measure your value or your ability to survive by money. What’s the alternative?

How about measuring your value and ability to survive by:

• The number of people you love and take care of
• Your health and energy
• Your critical thinking skills and knowledge
• The number of ideas you come up with
• Your creativity
• Your resilience and ability to connect with spirit

These are the true measure of who you are and your ability to survive. Yes, having a lot of money may make it easier to do the things you want and act the way you want. But actually, therein lies the problem.

Have you ever noticed that most of the most balanced, aligned and wonderful people either do not have a lot of material wealth or it does not have much of an affect on them if they do have it? Have you also noticed that many of the most messed up, mean and unhappy people are the ones who grew up with too much material wealth and not enough opportunity to develop spiritually?

I’m just saying, I think what we are hearing about now may not be a bad thing. If it reconnects people with what’s really important, isn’t that good? If it reconnects us with our source, other people and taking better care of ourselves, isn’t that a positive development?

In some way, haven’t people been asking for things to be different? Isn’t that what was promised by the election? We were promised change and now we have it. Shouldn’t we be happy that we got what 52% of the voters wanted?

My theory on this is that everything had grown a little too intense and our lives were starting to behave like the Windows OS when it needs to be rebooted. It accumulates problems and gets unstable until the only thing you can do is pull the plug and start over. It feels like we are rebooting the economy. In fact, back in the depression, Roosevelt declared a Bank Holiday (a great euphemism for rebooting the banking system) because everything was so messed up no one knew what was going on.

When a computer reboots, it usually tries to save some data and put things in order before it starts again. That takes time as it shuts down services and gets ready to restart. And once it starts again with a clean slate, everything runs much better. It’s what the stock markets are doing now.

If this is the case, then what do you need to do?

• Take really good care of your health. Relax, exercise, eat well, do positive things like yoga, and get body and energy work to keep you aligned and balanced
• Set your goals and write an action plan to accomplish your goals
• Take good care of your family and friends
• Use SWOT techniques  (See earlier post)
• Do things to open and use your creativity
• Don’t be pulled in by the fear in the media (Be aware that it is a manipulation of your emotions to hook you in.)

By following these important steps you will be more prosperous. Why? Because you are going to be mentally and emotionally agile and prepared to see and act on opportunities that other people will miss. During times of change, this is what’s really important.

Be well and Prosper

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker, President

Spa Tech Institute

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