How Your Cat Can Help You Grow Your Business

By Coach Cary Bayer

My cat is a 10-pound Buddha named Ananda (Sanskrit for bliss) because she's the fastest purrer in the West. This calico has taught me volumes about how to succeed in the healing arts business. They can teach you, too.

1. Think highly of yourself and others will be attracted to you.
Ananda says self-worth is the basis of net worth. To build a "multi-level cat home," the foundation must be secure. The foundation for increasing the number of sessions you give is for people to be attracted to you. Why would anyone work with you if you don't think highly of yourself? "Treat yourself like a dog," my cat says, "and others will, too."

2) Let others support you.
"Always accept dinner invitations, and bring home leftovers in a kitty bag." You must be supported by others for your livelihood. (Ananda replaces "earn a livelihood" with "enjoy a lovelyhood.") No matter how large your business, it can't survive unless people purchase your services.

Let others support you in every way--a book from a friend; a coaching session from a colleague; a ten thousand dollar gift from your parents.

3) Let others touch you.
Don't just give support; receive it, too. A talented healer can relieve the thousand slings and arrows your flesh is heir to, as Shakespeare's brochure might have said if he was the Bard of Healing. The less tense your body, the more relaxed your mind, and the more open your heart, the more deeply you connect to people. This inspires people to work with you.

Massage breaks down your body's armor against being touched, and other alternative modalities allow you to be more intimate with people on every level. Such intimacy enriches you to perform better in your healing session. It also gives you the profound experience of receiving, the fourth R that you should have been taught in elementary school. Reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic lead to an educated life, not a prosperous one. The fourth R does.

4. Exercise keeps you young in body and heart.
My cat's idea of exercise is chasing chipmunks. She doesn't belong to a gym; her health club is outdoors. She doesn't try to get endorphins going, they just appear when she does her thing. Stimulate your endorphins by playing tennis, swimming, or whatever your body loves doing. All work and no play makes Joanie a dull chiropractor, therapist, or energy healer.

Plato said we need a sound mind in a sound body. They're essential for developing sound healing arts businesses.

5) Nap when you feel like it; it's good for your soul and body.
"Stop living like a dog," Ananda tells healers who overwork. When your cat cuddles with you, she's saying, "Stop working, start napping." Downtime for meditation, walks on the beach, or catnaps do wonders for your soul. This rejuvenation travels through your hands, eyes, thought and intuition, benefiting clients.

6) It's innocent to be the center of attention.
Your cat is completely at home as center of attention; you can be, too. Handling energy prepares you to handle money.

7) Curiosity thrills the cat.
At 16, Ananda doesn't have kitten-like curiosity anymore; but her ears perk up when there's rustling in the woods. When does your curiosity get aroused? Are you curious about learning Watsu, Hypnotherapy, or Network Chiropractic? Why keep putting it off? Curiosity keeps your spirit lively, so explore your interests. Curiosity can also thrill your bank account if you pursue your passions. Curiosity can make you one rich cat.

8) The more playful you are, the more you're loved and prospered.

The people celebrated on People magazine covers are actors who play at being others; singers who play concerts; athletes who play games. Our culture pays buckets of money to people who play. The more playful you are, the more your inner child is alive and kicking. Self-love attracts love and support from others. Having fun makes the workday fly by, and, if you're self-employed as a healing arts practitioner, brings you more money.

9) If you're happy and you know it, purr away--you'll be feline groovy.
"Don't just walk your talk," my cat teaches, "strut your stuff." It innocently sends a message that you're the cat's pajamas. It's time you reverse your parents' message to "wipe that smile off your face." If there's a smile on your face, let it grow.

Ananda says, "The more I purr, the more you stroke me and the more I keep purring." This opposite of a vicious cycle; is a delicious cycle. A healer's delicious cycle looks like this: When you do your lovelihood you have a great time, and others are attracted to your joy, giving you money for what you do. This brings you more joy, and that joy attracts even more money to you.

Cary Bayer (www.carybayer.com) was keynote speaker at the 2006 American Massage Therapy Association national convention. Widely known as The Business Coach for Massage Therapists, Cary is a Life Coach; CE provider licensed by NCBTMB and Florida Dept. of Health's Board of Massage Therapy; and faculty member of Massage Business University, he writes for Massage Today, massage publications in 14 states, and a syndicated column, "Life 101," that runs in wellness publications. His 27 publications include 11 specifically for massage therapists. He's coached some 150 LMTs and dozens of alternative healers. His CE seminars, "Build a $100,000 a Year Massage Business" and "Healer, Heal Thyself," are very popular among alternative facilitators.