Time...

Several days ago, I worked on a client while there was some noise in the neighborhood, there was construction going on and they occassionally used the drill and the cutting saw. I was upset. My client wasn't. He said that he used to work construction and that the noise doesn't bother him, in fact he is happy that he inside and cool, getting the massage, and they are out there in the sun, sweating.

It took me some time to focus and concetrate and then I went 15-20 mins overboard, because that's how much time I lost in getting my focus back. I was tired at the end... I also used all kinds of expensive essential oils and massage oils to make it more special and to make the client feel comfortable.

Yesterday I got stuck in traffic and was late for my client, so I called him 40mins before the appointment time and told him that I need to reschedule. He already made a 30min trip to see me and was just waiting around until the time.. Then he had to redo that trip once again, for the reschedule. It's his time and the gas... I worked on him for a whole hour to make up for the time he lost. I also used the special expensive oils. The client was very happy of course. I was tired :)

So where is the fine line, where is the give and take? In the first case, I could have focused earlier. In the second case, 30 mins over time was more appropriate. Especially because this is a somewhat regular client, he is often late and I always accomodate that.

Being in a service profession means that we are geared towards giving, however, being too giving is a disservice to everyone, including ourselves.