Never Give Up On Yourself

Every once in a while you come across someone who is really passionate about being good at what they do. When that happens you're usually in for a memorable experience.

That's what happened to me when I was in Palm Springs for TED recently and made an appointment at the La Quinta Resort for a massage.

It was an 80-minute session, but the massage therapist spent the first several minutes just talking with me. She wanted to know the last time I had gotten a message. She asked about any specific areas of concern. Did I get headaches? Have any sleep issues?

She listened carefully to my responses and asked follow-ups questions. After that, she explained how the heated bed and sheet configurations could be adjusted for my comfort and asked me to let her know if I was getting too warm.

Then she gave me a thorough and intensive massage. She took her time and seemed to know exactly which muscles needed the most attention. I could tell that she was focused 100 percent on me and on what she was doing. By the end, I felt incredible and told her it was the best message I had ever had. "How do you do it?" I asked "What makes you so different?"

She gave me an unexpected answer: "I just never give up on myself." I asked her to explain.

"I knew I would have to work for most of my life, and I wanted it to be something I loved doing," she said. "So I didn't give up on myself and became a massage therapist. Then I kept working at getting better, and I got this job I love at the resort. And I want to keep getting better. I do it for my clients, but I do it for me too. I worked this hard to get here – I'm not going to give up on myself now."

This is a woman who understands the dangers of the comfort zone and won't get stuck there. When you become satisfied with "good enough," the complacency limits the level of care you can provide your patients. This attitude also dishonors everything you've done to get to where you are and everything you can still become. If you're not continually challenging yourself to get better, you're essentially giving up on yourself.