As a woman with a business degree, reflecting on where I am and who or what I want to be is a constant process. Having enjoyed six months away from the business world, I had the opportunity to reflect on who I want to be as a person and as a business woman. I used the time to redefine who I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I spent time discerning my future work life and hope now to take action and make my conclusions a reality.
The education to become a healer through touch allows me to continue my goal to be as educated as possible, and to be successful using the education I have chosen to pursue. I explored massage therapy prior to finishing my BS but decided it wasn’t the right time after the death of a very close friend who was a massage therapist. Now was the right time for me to step back into the world of healing others, having found healing myself. Through massage therapy, I hope to strengthen my spiritual life, and the lives of the people I touch through massage. I find that, because of many, many people being disconnected from their own bodies and women over sexualized, people have a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the actions of others. People do not understand that massage therapists communicate care and love through a healing touch, a touch that is not sexual. For me, as a Christian woman, this is the same misunderstanding that people had of Mary Magdalene. She desired to honor Jesus and show him her love for him by anointing his feet with oil. This simple touch is the same healing touch massage therapists offer every client.
I chose to pursue a massage therapy education because I love massage. I have experienced the healing touch of massage therapy myself. I feel like a changed person after a good massage. For days I walk around as a new person, feeling more awake and alert than ever. I want to do that for other people. I want my job to be about offering others the healing touch, being the best hour of their week. I want to help others experience what I have, knowing that massage therapy really heals not only body, but mind and spirit. Through the courses I have taken, I have been able to discern what focus I will have in my career. It has become clearer to me that honoring, showing love, and healing others will be my focus. Two of the Works of Mercy in Christianity are to care for the sick and to comfort the afflicted. As a massage therapist, I will live out those works of mercy daily, focusing my career on geriatric, oncology, and hospice care. A career in massage therapy will also give me the opportunity to use my strong business experience and previous education to build my own business. I am an entrepreneur, exactly what a graduate of a massage therapy program must be in order to be successful and to be a success story as a model to others who are graduating and entering the industry. This education and career will allow me to fulfill all that I am striving for long term: independence, selfdiscipline, as well as personal success and growth.