Just the other day I was telling my sister I’m sorry. I’m sorry for acting a fool when it came to her healthy eating needing to look my healthy eating.
I’m sorry for rolling my eyes every time she called the front seat. (Yes even as adults)
I’m sorry for hiding the Mountain Dew while she was visiting. (It was her favorite drink at the time and I was determined to put up a fuss just to tell her how bad it was for her.)
I was inflicting my holier-than-thou attitude on her. I was forcing my will on her. I was being a know-it-all. And for that I am sorry. It was good for me to say these things out loud even though I know in my heart she already had forgiven me.
To be our best selves sometimes we must change our behavior. Changing my behavior required humility. Wouldn’t you agree, true humility serves us all well?
Too often these days I hear a tone. It’s a condescending, holier-than-thou attitude when Massage Therapists are talking about traditional medicine. Heard recently at a conference, “That doc talking about hip replacement – he never mentioned massage once. Can you believe it!?” Yes I can believe it. It’s a beautiful, honest example of where we are today. Doctors don’t get to learn all the benefits of massage while in med school. That’s when we gently, humbly, at the right time, show up. But guess what that doctor does get? He gets the responsibility to keep that client alive. He can have that job all day long. I’ll pass.
Ladies and gents, we build our reputation on humility, or the lack of it. Both personally and professionally we have the opportunity to embrace these 3 little words, “I don’t know.”
In our profession, we don’t know a lot about the clinical effects of massage. Truth is, some of us went to school a long time ago (me); some of you just graduated. Either way, unless you are a research geek, you may not have the latest knowledge.
For example, guess what I learned? R.I.C.E. (Rest/ Ice/ Compression/ Elevation) for treatment of acute inflammation has been proven wrong. Say what?! Yup. Dr Gabe Mirkin founder of the R.I.C.E. method explains why he now believes that ice delays recovery.
Ya know who does some cool research? The Massage Therapy Foundation. Let me be clear, they SPONSOR research. Here is another ‘breaking news’ item: The 5 common myths of Massage Therapy.
To wrap up, my point is be humble. Make space for a belief system that is different than yours. Make space that you may both be right. Oh, and don’t be an ass when talking about the medical profession.
Your confidence to ‘not know’ makes us all more credible and more likable. Sprinkle the phrase into client conversations, “I don’t know.” Watch it work its magic.
Namaste my friends.
