Do you know who Ray Kroc is?

I know you know who walt Disney is.

Well, both of those guys are quoted as teaching a very important business building & massage marketing lesson that you need to understand if you're ever going to create a super-successful massage practice.

It's amazing how this one unique way both Ray Kroc and walt looked at their businesses had such a gigantic impact on their success and profitability.

But it did. And it can for you as well.

(Just in case you don't know, Ray Kroc is the guy who is responsible for the gigantic success of McDonald's.)

Ironically, I believe I experienced this lesson and *unique way* of running a business firsthand last week.

Let me explain...

The very next day after the moving company had dropped our stuff off in florida, we left for a little family vacation to club Med in port St. Lucie.

And, I've got to tell you... the service there from everyone on staff was just incredible.

I'm talking the best customer service I've ever experienced anywhere. And, I've been to some of the best hotels around.

(FYI: excellent customer service is *NOT* the big unique business lesson, so hang tight.)

I could tell immediately that the bigwigs running club Med looked at customer service and care very differently from most vacation destinations.

For me personally, I'd now recommend club Med to anyone. Largely because of the caring staff.

Talk about marketing, right!

I mean, think about it.

I just said I'd recommend club Med largely because of the caring staff. Meanwhile, most people don't plan a vacation based on the quality of the staff at their destination.

But, this one aspect of my experience at club Med was so good, now I'll be talking about it to other people (word of mouth).

You see, I believe the head honchos at club Med understand the same thing Ray Kroc and walt Disney understood...

Massage marketing doesn't just consist of the brochures, flyers, small space ads, and direct mail letters you use to build your practice.

Massage marketing is more than that.

Massage Marketing includes setting up everything properly that your clients and prospective clients could remember your services for.

For Ray Kroc it was the bathrooms at McDonald's.

Mr. Kroc appropriately defined clean bathrooms as marketing.

walt defined clean streets at Disney the same way.

They didn't see clean bathrooms and clean streets as a necessary operational expense.

No.

They both understood the concept of Critical Non- Essentials (CNE) within massage marketing.

CNE are all the things your clients will remember about your massage services that *AREN'T* your massage services.

It's everything that could create positive or negative word of mouth advertising for you, that ISN'T the actual bodywork they receive from you.

It's the...

Practice decor Customer service music Bathrooms Scheduling process Contacts from you Collateral material Staff uniform Etc.

Think about it...

Each and every one of those things could create great or horrible word of mouth buzz for you, regardless of how great your bodywork services actually are.

That's why they're all referred to as critical non- essentials.

They're not essential to practice, but they're critical for your success.

And, when addressed *properly*, you can very easily use your critical non-essentials to differentiate your massage marketing and massage practice from all the others out there, and reap MASSIVE rewards.

The key is doing it properly.

Todd Brown is known as the guy who can quickly turn almost any massage therapist into an amazing success story. Discover his secret in the brand new 26-page Free Massage business Report at http://www.GetMassageClients.com.

Carbohydrates - found in grains, breads, pasta, and sugar, as well as vegetables, fruit, tofu, beans, and dairy - provide the body with the most efficient fuel for energy production and brain activity. They're nutritionally essential, a principle currently downplayed by the "low-carb craze".

What is important to understand is that not all carbohydrates have the same "fuel efficiency". Many carbohydrates - termed "refined" or "simple" - cause blood sugar highs and lows which can result in a period of high energy followed by a period of extremely low energy, often leaving the person craving more of the simple quick release carbs.

Examples of these "refined" carbs are regular pasta, white bread, snack foods and baked goods. The weight loss plans that advocate eating less or none of these foods are on the right track, except they tend to throw out the GOOD carbs as well. We'll call these "slow carbs", and here's why:

After you eat them, the carbohydrates in foods are broken down and released as sugar units (glucose) into your bloodstream. "Slow carbs" are foods that release glucose at a slower rate.

Typically, these foods are "whole foods"; that is, they contain the fibre and minerals that are often removed in making their refined, "quick-release" counterparts. (Such is the difference between whole wheat bread and white bread.)

Choosing "slow carbs" over refined carbs helps keep your blood sugar balanced (positively affecting your hunger level, mood and mental concentration, among other things). Fibre also promotes regularity and helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Examples of "slow carbs" are whole grain breads and crackers, potatoes with their skin, beans & legumes, brown rice, oats, and whole grain pasta.

Here are five tips for creating a "slow carb" habit:

1. Whole foods - Eat as close to natural as possible. Vegetables, fruits, beans and lentils are whole foods that contain all of their original nutrients (fibre, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates for energy).

2. Grains & Breads - When it comes to grain products such as breads, crackers, cereals, and pasta, choose "darker", whole grain varieties. This can be done in restaurants as well as the grocery store.

3. Snacking - Fruit is an excellent snack. Consuming the whole fruit provides the slow-release carbs and will sustain your energy for longer, as opposed to fruit juice, which provides the body with a quick release of fruit sugar into the bloodstream. Another great snack to try is sliced red peppers with hummus (made from chickpeas).

4. take the time (you're worth it!) - Seeing as some of the slow-carb options take longer to cook (e.g., brown rice versus white rice), make them ahead of time, and make extra to freeze for future meals. Brown rice is very versatile; try it in soups, casseroles, stuffed vegetables, or for breakfast (warmed) with cinnamon, raisins, chopped nuts or ground flaxseed.

5. Read labels - "Whole wheat" (or other "whole" grain) should appear before any other flour in the ingredient list. White flour can be disguised as "wheat flour", enriched flour", "unbleached flour", or "grain flour", to name a few.

Working at substituting "slow carb" foods into your lifestyle will ensure that you have ample energy, proper nutrition, and that you maintain a healthy weight. Of course it's also essential that you find some ways to be active and that you limit high fat and high calorie snack foods as best you can.

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Susan Baker, B.Sc.,RHN, RNCP is a registered nutritional consultant who supports individuals on their path to optimal healing through nutrition consultations, with a special interest in digestion and food sensitivities.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of The Everyday Self-Care Workbook. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

Inner peace is not reserved only to yogis, hermits or monks, sitting alone in a far off place, praying or meditating all day long. It can also be attained by people living an ordinary life, who have a job, married and with children.

Inner peace is a state of being emotionally and mentally at peace and strong in the face of discord or stress. It is the opposite of being stressed or anxious.

True inner peace, confers tranquility, inner harmony and inner balance, and is an inner condition, which is independent of external conditions and circumstances. It can be acquired through proper training, resulting in the ability to remain calm, undisturbed and unhurried in difficult and unpleasant situations.

When there is inner peace there are no anxieties and fears, no negative thoughts or negative expectations, no stress and no lack of satisfaction and happiness. It is a state of emotional and mental poise, happiness, confidence and inner strength.

Though almost everyone desires inner peace, albeit unconsciously, few realize its importance and benefits, and very few realize that it is a skill that can be learned and developed. You can stay where you are, without making external changes in your life, and yet attain inner peace. Some might go faster and others might progress at a slower pace. Some might reach high and others not so high, but any amount of inner peace and tranquility gained is a great achievement that can transform one's life.

There are many reasons why you need to gain at least some measure of inner peace. Here are 20 reasons to consider:

1. Inner peace improves your ability to concentrate.

2. It improves the ability to handle efficiently the daily affairs of life.

3. It increases your inner strength and power.

4. Inner peace eliminates impatience, anger, nervousness and restlessness.

5. Inner peace develops patience, tolerance and tact.

6. It makes you feel centered, grounded, and stable.

7. Being mentally and emotionally calm contributes to improved sleep.

8. You gain the ability to be emotionally and mentally unaffected by what people think or say about you.

9. It eliminates stress, anxieties and worries.

10. Inner peace brings inner happiness and bliss.

11. It increases self mastery and self discipline.

12. It relaxes the body and nerves.

13. The healing energies of the body work unhindered.

14. Being peaceful enables you not to be swayed by events, hardships and difficulties, and to maintain inner poise, clear judgement and common sense in such situations.

15. Inner peace eliminates negative, futile and restless thinking.

16. It improves your relationships with other people.

17. It makes life look brighter.

18. It increases creativity.

19. It makes it easier to meditate.

20. It is the gateway to enlightenment and spiritual awakening.

True inner peace is important not only while things move smoothly, but especially in times of trouble, difficulties or danger. Then it counts most.

Inner peace ultimately brings peace into your life, your affairs and your relationships, and to the world around you.

Remez Sasson teaches and writes on positive thinking, creative visualization, motivation, self-improvement, peace of mind, spiritual growth and meditation. He is the author of several books, among which are "Peace of mind in Daily life", "Will Power and Self discipline", "Visualize and Achieve" and "Affirmations - Words of Power".

There are various ways to attain inner peace, such as psychological means, affirmations, visualization, yoga and meditation. A full program on this subject, which is written in a manner and language everyone can understand and follow, with instructions, advice and exercises, can be found in my book
peace of mind in daily life.