I had a new client come in a couple of months ago.

She had been suffering from chronic pain for years, and she finally decided that enough was enough. She changed her diet, became more intentional with her thoughts, and was seeking complementary therapies for her pain.

She told me she was feeling better than she could remember.

When I asked her what it was that encouraged her to make these changes, she said,

“I gave myself a reality check. I sat myself down, and said, ‘Enough is enough.’ I realized that what I had been doing to try to get better wasn’t working, and that if I kept doing the same thing, I was going to keep getting the same results. My reality check was the catalyst I needed to get support and make the changes I knew I needed to make.”

Whoa.

Wouldn’t it be terrific if all of our potential clients took a reality check?

When I was thinking about it later, I realized that it’s the same with our bodywork practices.

If you’re not getting the results you’re looking for in your business, it may be time for a reality check. Ask yourself:

• Am I regularly earning enough income to hit my monthly Exhale Number, so I can sustain my practice?

• Does it feel like I’m struggling more than I’m enjoying this work?

• Do I look at my appointment book and feel dread and fear, rather than joy and anticipation?

• Am I serving all the people I can so that the world becomes a touch kinder?

• Am I doing the work I love, and making a great living doing it?

If you don’t like the answers, it’s time for a change. Like our clients, if you keep doing the same thing, you’re going to keep getting the same results. Or as one of my college buddies says,

“Mindy, if you change nothing, nothing changes.”

You can use this reality check so that you don’t have to crash and burn before making the changes YOU need to make.

When I had a reality check in my practice around the time of the 2008 recession, I realized it was time to reach out and get support. I didn’t know what that looked like, but I finally admitted to myself that I could no longer try to pull myself up by my bootstraps. It simply wasn’t working…

On my own journey, my next step was to research and look up tons of different resources until I found something that resonated with my heart.

I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting help from an international guru, being a part of a gi-normous group of hundreds of thousands of followers.

In college, my favorite class was an Early British Literature seminar {NERD ALERT!!} — and one of the reasons I loved it so much is that the class was so small that we each got individualized support from our professor.

I thrived when I knew that my teacher saw me and KNEW me as a unique human being, rather than a face in an auditorium, and I was able to get thoughtful answers to my questions, and tailored responses to my writing. (TOLD you I’m a big nerd!)

So, when I was looking for support for my business, I looked for those same qualities: a small group, individualized support, and a guide who saw me for the unique person I am.

If your reality check has made you realize it’s time to reach out for some help, I encourage you to look for someone who “gets it,” who knows what you’re going through, and who can guide you to reach your own goals.

Remember, don’t be hard on yourself — you’re exactly where you need to be. And your next step is up to you.

You’ve got this.