Is Becoming a Massage Therapist like Becoming a Merchant Marine??

by Sean Slovik
(Melbourne FL)

When you first start out the the Merchant Marine, you study 4 years at a maritime academy along with 3 summers at sea learning the practical aspects of being a ship's officer. By the time you get out, you are ready to take a Coast guard exam and become licensed as a Third Mate (3rd officer). You show up to your first ship, and of
course, you are a bit nervous. You take a deep breath and look back at your schooling and say to yourself, "well gosh, I shouldn't be too nervous. I know how to find the ship's position anywhere on the earth by the looking at the stars. I can calculate the stability of the ship just by timing how long it takes to roll back and forth in a
seaway. I'm confident I can avoid hitting another ship in a dense fog
by use of radar." You console yourself that you actually know a lot,
maybe even feeling you know everything, so you go up the gangway
feeling good, find the captain and sign on as the new Third Mate.

After a year's sea time experience sailing at sea, you can take the
Second mate's exam. Now, the first time you go up the gangway as a Second mate, you actually feel a little more nervous than the first
time you went up the gangway as a Third Mate. You say to yourself, "well, I thought I knew it all back when I was a Third mate, but now I realize there's actually a few things I don't know."

After another year's sea time experience sailing at sea, you can take the Chief Mate's exam. This time you go up the gangway, you are actually rather nervous because you say to yourself, "Gosh, all these years I thought I was fairly well educated, but now I know there's A LOT that I don't know!"
After another year's sea time experience, you can finally take the
Master's (captain)exam. You finally have realized your dream. On
your first job as Captain you stand on the bridge while in port
slowly watching the new crew members come up the gangway. You bow your
head, with your hands over your face and feel like either crying,
puking, or both. You're a nervous WRECK! Luckily the old faithful
cook shows up on the bridge and asks "what's wrong captain?".
You respond, "I've been sailing a long time on these ships, had a
great deal of experience, but now that I finally made Captain, I feel
like I don't know a thing. Now that I look at it, i realize I don't
know $h!7."
The kind old cook consoles you with a rub on the back and says,
"Don't worry, Captain. Look, there's a brand new Third Mate coming
up the gangway now and I'm sure he knows everything".
Reflect on the story's wisdom, and I'm sure you'll turn out to be a
fine clinician which seems you are well along the path.
Regards
Sean
www.a-body-for-living.com