.png)
I don't know if anyone has told you this but..
You don't have to do it all! And quite honestly, you shouldn't.
Here's a statistic for you! According to celeb esthetician, JoElle Lee, in 2017 at Skin Inc.'s Face and Body spa conference, she shared:
"the average career lifespan of an esthetician is typically only three years."
In my personal experience, I believe this has to do with a few things.
1. Realizing this isn't your passion. 2. Job misplacement. And lastly, 3. Burn out!
Over the past 6 years of my career, I've learned some things about this world that the Milady's book taught couldn't teach! As a master esthetician, while teaching esthetics and working esthetics retail simultaneously, you can say I'm familiar with juggling a little too much!
I'm proud to say I've beat this statistic!! And I can attribute this to a few things but mainly it's my love for the industry! I didn't know how much I loved learning until I started esthetics. It lit a fire I never thought was there and became my first passion! As a fellow esty or cosmetologist, you may feel this way too! Unfortunately, this isn't always enough.
A few words of advice from a fellow industry professional who has learned these the hard way!
You Are NOT Your Career.
In other words, separate your identity from the career path you've chosen. It is considered to be a "luxury" in the working world to find a career that you wake up excited to go to most days. But this doesn't mean you have to be boxed into this "one dimension" of your life. You don't need permission to be multi-faceted. Have passion and joy outside of your day to day livelihood! Find other ways to be fulfilled! Allow yourself grace and room to grow and find new loves. Establishing these patterns to build balance and boundaries set you up to avoid resenting the career you once were in love with.
Know Your "Last Straw"
You can't expect others to know if they are asking too much of you, if you don't know "what too much" looks like". Find your breaking point before it finds you! While burn out can seem abrupt when it hits, it's actually doesn't happen over night. There are many signs we tend to overlook. But only you can recognize the signs and triggers of an oncoming burn out. Feel burnout creeping up on ya? Then it's time to GO DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF! You absolutely deserve it.
Balance & Boundaries aka Peace & Harmony
We've all heard it! "Create home and work life balance." Ok sure if it were only that easy. This isn't a skill taught in school. It takes working experience and discipline to find this in our careers.
At the end of the day, we are care takers! We work in public service and hospitality. We spend all day giving to others, boosting confidence, addressing areas of concern, and educating! And we do this because we love it. But sometimes we find ourselves giving beyond what we even have. Our glass is bone dry but we are still pouring into our clients!
This is where boundaries come in. The expectation of "work-life balance" happening every day is far- fetched. However, setting boundaries is a form of self care. You are evening the scales of balance.
This looks different for everyone.
Some days, it means no "last minute squeeze ins" so that you can take a REAL lunch (that isn't shoving a granola bar down your mouth in the break room!) Maybe, this looks like sticking to your gut and "firing" a client that never seems to be satisfied and only brings negativity in your work space. It could be planning a day off or maybe it's adding another day to your schedule! Whatever it is, it starts with giving your best "yes" and standing firm in your "no". Boundaries do not create restrictions. They protect our inner peace and harmony! And in turn, build structure so we are at our best & on our "A - Game"!
I'll leave you with one more stat!
Statista Research Department published a report on the global skin care market size for 2012-2025. 2022's projection for the skin care industry is estimating at 169.5 billion dollars. And by 2025, this number rises to 189.3 billion dollars!
"The skin care industry has witnessed a shift from demand from older consumers to a growing younger consumer base. People are beginning to use skin care at an increasingly young age in a bid to delay the signs of aging, while the number of older consumers is beginning to fall"
I hope this inspires you! You always have a place in this community and there is so much room to grow! Don't let burn out steal your passion!
Learn more on combatting burn out and building the culture in your salon or spa!
Join us at AKTIV Elevate 2022 to tackle these topics & more with a licensed professional life coach!
