Massage therapy is great for an achy body, but what about an achy brain? This week I met with Chad Hunter the massage therapist in my business referral group. Ostensibly, these one-on-one meetings are to learn more about each other’s business and how to increase referrals to one another. Often times, you also talk about friends, family, successes, challenges and your failures.
To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t think Chad and I had that much in common. But a good conversation proved me wrong. How? We are both guys working hard to keep the family strong, tending to friends and busting our butts to grow our businesses. All of us guys put forth a solid veneer of strength, prosperity and invincibility. However, veneers are paper-thin and over time they can develop splits and cracks. Some of my splits are big enough to drive a truck through.
Damaged veneers can be repaired. I have found the best restoration to be good honest conversations with like-minded people. I learned that Chad and I have very similar dreams and challenges for our families and businesses. Like any small business person we face the same struggles of effective marketing, bookkeeping, dealing with ‘special’ clients, paying bills and let’s not even get into extended family matters.
Chad’s motto is ‘Come in broken, come out fixed.’ The day we met, Chad did not lay a hand, elbow or foot on me. But through the art of good conversation he helped me put a very challenging week behind me. Massage therapy for the brain: good conversation with a new friend.