I'm not sure if you've checked out the May/June issue of Massage & Bodywork yet (http://www.massageandbodywork.com/),  but I got myself a little bit of PR in their most recent issue. As a former columnist of the magazine and ongoing PR opportunist, I am always looking for ways to keep my foot in the door and words on the page.

One of the features they do each month is to ask for reader comments on a particular subject or question. I had a little free time on my hands one night and answered several months' worth of these queries all at once. And wouldn't you know it, one of them got printed in the mag. Hooray!

This type of feature is not unique to Massage and Bodywork. In fact many trade magazines offer one or more opportunities to hear from their readers on their website or in the mag. Throughout the publication in the bylines or intros to these sections, they will invite readers to contribute their experiences and ideas. And sometimes they end up in print and or the web site. Start looking for them and you will find a number of opportunities just waiting for you.

When your letter or comments are printed, it is something that you can share with your clients and colleagues, link to your web site (when possible) and use as an extra credential like "as quoted in Massage Therapy Journal" or something similar. It may not seem like much, especially when you are primarily working behind the treatment room door. But mentions like this give you credibility and buzz along with helping you to build a path for the later phases of your career. It can even open doors you didn't know were there. I urge you to look for opportunities everywhere you go, be ready to make some noise and get noticed!

So what did I write? You'll have to check out the magazine to read the whole feature, but I will share my letter now that the pub has been on the racks for a bit. The topic was "What has been your most challenging moment as a bodyworker?" Here was my honest and perhaps surprising response...

In my nearly 14 years of massage therapy, I’ve faced many challenges: cash flow problems, hiring the wrong therapists, inappropriate clients, time management, and many others. But the biggest challenge ever is probably the one I face right now: making the decision (or not) to retire from massage.

I’ve been planning it for years, always saying that “next year” will probably be it, that my schedule has gotten too busy, that my hands are worn out, that I don’t enjoy it like I used to. But then I think about my clients who have brought as much care and healing to my life as I have to theirs. I think about how much I love to see them cross the threshold, how much I enjoy the stories and insights they share, and how they have become a part of my life. Gosh, how I would miss them ... I feel tears building up just writing this.

And truthfully, I do think about the money. Yes, I now have another career as a spa consultant and trainer. I can focus exclusively on that business and make up for the difference pretty quickly, I’d imagine.

But what will feed my spirit like seeing and helping these people? What other career is out there that is so special, fulfilling, and satisfying, where you really know you make a difference in the lives of others? Maybe next year ...

Check out the questions due for M&B on June 15th by clicking here and August 15th by clicking here. Good luck!