Have you ever reached a point in your grooming career where you said, I'm done, this is it, and changed paths?

I know I have... and I have all of the hats to prove it.

This time of year, especially, as our hands feel aches and swelling starts to appear, our bodies feel like a truck ran over it TWICE! and our hearts are tired, the thoughts of wondering what if I tried something else? get loud.

I know where this thinking leads, where burnout has led me in the past.

Burnout led me to a makeup counter at Macy's, applying and selling cosmetics to men and women. Burnout led me to a high-end spa, waxing EVERY INCH of the human body. Burnout brought me to the local Hooters, serving wings for a total of one day. Burnout even brought me to the inside of a hospital morgue, making space for a body when it was at maximum capacity.

None of these places fixed the feeling.

I know how I reached a point where I didn't love dog grooming anymore. I was done with the people, the bad pups, the poor management, the negative team members. 

However, it never took too long to find myself around dogs again; they gravitate towards me and I, like a magnet, go to them. 

In those moments I said to myself, Is it really the grooming that I'm done with, or is it something else something bigger 

I looked at an analyzed the 'bigger' thing, and over time I realized... It was never grooming that I was done with, it was the environment I was surrounded by: people who took advantage of my need to please, my talents, my speed to make them money and a good reputation. It was groomers whose negativity affected their whole workday, and leaders unfit to inspire, to lead with good selfless intentions. 

When you are in the middle of all I described it's hard to hear yourself think to hear your voice. 

You hear everyone else's opinions of who you are as a groomer/person, but you always fail to listen to your own. Which is the only one that truly matters.

My many hats became repetitive lessons till I finally learned, I had enough. 

I love grooming dogs.

I am an artist. What I do is an act of love, compassion and artistry so uniquely mine it can't be put in anyone's idea box. 

When I realized this, I became as gentle with myself and my emotions as I was with the puppies on my table. And I decided to create a business that I didn't need to run away from. 

I share this with you because I know the holiday rush can bring us back to feeling like it's time to change paths. But the truth is that what needs to change is how we allow others to treat us and our work. 

Even now as a business owner I find myself slipping, taking on heavier loads. 

Don't feel discouraged when this happens, acknowledge it and set a boundary for next time. The clients who value you will understand the ones who don't, shouldn't be your clients

In the meantime, make sure you are getting plenty of sleep/stay hydrated, start working towards future policies and stick to them, and find a group of like-minded groomers who you can talk to, when you are feeling overwhelmed. 

And go read Deja's steps on dealing with holiday burnout, recenter yourself, and start setting your business intentions for 2021! 

A wise woman told me that our current feelings and emotions are like bubbles some are big some are smaller some reach incredible heights but eventually they all come back down and pop! Be kind to yourself: you are worthy! 

Ingrid

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