Clients love great foot massage! Here are some foot massage techniques our ABMP experts use in their sessions.
Fantastic Footwork
As a health-care provider, a massage therapist MUST adhere to the highest standards of personal hygiene and professional dress. If you want clients to return—Take 5.
Hygiene Tips for Massage Therapists
Use ABMP’s goal-setting forms to capture your goals: post them where you can see them, track them, and celebrate your accomplishments.
Goal-Setting Forms
Goals Will Get You There!
Achievers in all fields—elite athletes, businesspeople, and other professionals—use goal-setting techniques to organize time, resist distractions, and take pride in achievements. You’ll find that goal setting helps you stay motivated and increases your self-confidence. By setting and keeping track of goals, you are better able to obtain the information that will lead to future success in the massage profession.
Characteristics of Goals
Positive goals have some important characteristics:
- Independently Chosen: First, the goal should be independently chosen. If someone else (parent, friend, teacher, spouse) sets the goal for you, you are less likely to achieve it.
- Positive and Motivating: Goals are about achieving something important that you can feel good about, and should be stated as an announcement of intention, not items on a wish list. “I hope to get an A on this test” lacks power. “I will get an A on this test” is powerful and determined. Avoid stating your goal in such a way that it feels like a punishment. “I can’t have dinner until I complete my homework” is an example of a negative goal statement. “I don’t want to get less than a C in theory class” sounds like a worry, not a goal.
- Realistic: A goal must also be realistic. For example, Miguel’s goal was to get an A in all his classes. He felt deflated and depressed when he received several Bs in his second term. In addition to school, Miguel also holds down a full-time job and takes care of his two children on weekends. Miguel is going full speed all the time, and instead of feeling downhearted about his grade, he should feel proud. Miguel is getting good grades, and he has managed to maintain his job and family life at the same time. Getting perfect grades may feel like an important goal, but you will want to balance your school goals against your other life commitments. In Miguel’s case, the Bs demonstrated that he had achieved balance in his life.
- Measureable, Specific, Time-Bound: Set goals that are measurable, specific, and time-bound. This helps you to know when you have achieved a goal, and what specifically you have accomplished. If your goal is “to do well in school,” it is difficult to define and measure. Perhaps it means that you attended class every day of the term, and received an A grade. Maybe “to do well in school” means you made a lot of friends, had a really good time, and received a D in your course work. Instead, a measurable, specific, and time-bound goal might state, “Read Chapter 1, using a reading and note-taking system, by Friday.” If the goal is specific enough, it will suggest the tasks you must complete and actions you must take. In this case, the goal writer knows they must read Chapter 1 (a task) using a reading and note-taking system (an action).
Types of Goals
There are many different types of goals you might use to reach your objectives. Academic, personal self-improvement, physical health, spiritual health, family oriented, social, and financial goals provide useful direction in all areas of your life.
Academic Goals
Academic goals help a student remain current with homework assignments and produce thoughtful, complete work. Academic goals might include the desire for a specific letter grade or to learn a new skill. Here are some examples of academic goals:
- I will earn a B or higher on my theory quiz next Tuesday.
- I will attend every practice class this term.
- I will visit one clinic to observe its operation this term.
- I will update my assignment calendar each Monday to pay better attention to homework and quiz due dates.
Personal Self-Improvement Goals
Personal self-improvement goals help you implement positive behaviors. Here are some examples of self-improvement goals:
- I will read my textbook assignments before classes to improve my comprehension of lecture materials this term.
- I will wake up 30 minutes early to ensure I am on time for all of my classes this week.
- I will ask two questions during each lecture this week to remain actively involved.
- I will greet each classmate in a friendly way to improve the classroom dynamic.
Physical Health Goals
Goals for physical health help you replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones. These goals focus attention on areas like physical fitness, diet, water intake, and sleep. Here are some examples of physical health goals:
- I will drink eight glasses of water today.
- I will eliminate sugar from my diet within the month.
- I will plan healthy snacks and “brain food” for breaks between classes this week.
- I will spend 30 minutes walking outdoors this week.
Spiritual Health Goals
Goals for spiritual health help you experience the beauty and mystery of life. They also promote holistic health and attention to mind and spirit, as well as the body. Here are some examples of spiritual health goals:
- I will sign up for a meditation class and learn to meditate to reduce stress.
- I will pay attention each day to the beauty of nature all around me.
- I will spend time each week contemplating my spiritual beliefs.
- I will read one book on spirituality this month.
Family and Social Goals
When life gets busy, it is sometimes easy to take friends and family members for granted and forget to nurture important bonds and relationships. Family and social goals remind you to schedule meaningful time with friends and family. Here are some examples of family and social goals:
- I will make an effort to plan a special event for my wedding anniversary next month.
- I will call my mother two times each week.
- I will mark family birthdays in my planner and send cards this year.
- I will plan a special Sunday brunch this month and invite my closest friends.
Financial Goals
Financial goals help you pay attention to income and to expenditures. They also help people move ahead with finances, pay off debt, or plan for specific expenses. Here are some examples of financial goals:
- I will buy one holiday gift each month so I am not financially devastated in December.
- I will skip my trips to the coffee shop this month, make my coffee at home, and place the $4 I save each day into a jar. At the end of the month, I will put this money in my savings account.
- I will set up a car pool with classmates by Monday so we can all save on gas costs.
- I will put my savings toward paying off my credit card debt.
Each of the goal areas is important, and it is likely you might have one or two goals each month in each area. It also makes sense that, as a student, you may have a predominance of academic goals. The Monthly Goal Form in the Picked Fresh section of this newsletter provides structure for capturing and tracking monthly goals.
Long-Term, Intermediate, and Short-Term Goals
In school, it is likely you will set some long-term goals, intermediate goals, and short-term goals. A long-term goal might be determined each term for each class you take. For example, a long-term goal might be to receive an A in a certain class for the spring term. Intermediate goals are written to support the long-term goal. An intermediate goal for the long-term goal might be to receive an A grade on the first quiz in a certain class.
The Goal Worksheet, found in the Picked Fresh section of this newsletter, helps structure and organize intermediate goals that lead up to a larger goal. An important part of this process is to identify obstacles that may get in the way of achieving the goal. Obstacles might be external (such as a hectic work schedule), or internal (“I’m afraid to start on this project because it is so big”). Write out every obstacle you can imagine. Just getting them on paper and recognizing them helps to overcome them. Next, think about the way in which you can overcome these obstacles. This is your plan—your way forward. Write down the materials you need to achieve your goals and really assess your progress and the outcome of the goal to evaluate your performance. While you can start setting goals at any point in the school year, it works well to set goals at the beginning of a new term, module, or month.
Short-term goals are set weekly, daily, and hourly. Daily and weekly goals are a lot like a to-do list or a study plan. You sit down, think about what you want to accomplish, and make a list. You want the goals to be as specific and measurable as possible. For example, if you were writing out your study goals for the week they might look like this:
- Monday: Study from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Read pages 10–22 of the assignment.
- Tuesday: Study from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Read pages 23–40 of the assignment and complete the review questions at the end of the chapter.
- Wednesday: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Complete the massage exchange assignment by giving Mom a massage and filling out chart notes.
- Thursday: Prepare for the theory exam from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Read pages 82–92 in the textbook, complete the review questions at the end of the chapter, and make 10 flash cards about the chapter.
- Friday: Prepare for test on Monday by making flash cards for five of the 10 test topics.
- Saturday: Prepare for the muscle test on Monday by making flash cards for the last five test topics.
- Sunday: Review 10 flash cards for the test on Monday. Write a mock test and take the test. Re-study any topics I didn’t get right.
The tasks are so clearly defined that you can be in no doubt about whether you completed your study goals. As you complete each task, check it off and congratulate yourself for a job well done.
Write your goals down, post them where you can see them, assess them often, and modify them whenever they become outdated. By paying close attention to your goals, you are more likely to direct your attention to the task at hand, work hard, continue to work on a task even if it becomes difficult, and develop new strategies for achieving success. Download the Weekly Study Plan Form, the Monthly Goal Motivations, and the Top 10 Goal Form in the Picked Fresh section of this newsletter and start writing and tracking your goals now!