One of my favorite things about working for DERMASCOPE is the daily interaction with educators of this industry. Having grown up in skin care, spending the weekend at Catherine Atzen’s house or eating dinner with Ohashi seemed casual and ordinary
to me.
Since my first memory of being four years old at a trade show in Toronto, I have been exposed to the best of the best of our industry. And because as a child, I was cute and sweet and the daughter of the publisher, everyone spent a little extra time with me. They loved the idea of me growing up and following family traditions. The truth is, I loved the idea too. I have really been blessed with having access to such industry leaders. Now as an adult, I am beginning to understand the impact all this exposure has had on my life.
Our mothers always taught us that we’re only as good as the company we keep. I would add to that, quality is contagious; energy is too, whether good or bad. Throughout my life, I have always strived to surround myself with positive influences. I have learned that surrounding myself with quality people gives me the opportunity to become a better person. Our industry leaders have always been role models for me, and they provide inspiration for me to become a better person.
My letter to you this month was influenced by Christine Heathman. She recently sent me an e-mail, commenting on how good of a job I am doing as the editor of DERMASCOPE magazine. As I’m on the other end of the computer, I am just amazed at how much respect I have for her and how much of leader she is to our industry… and the fact that she looks upon me with favor really makes me proud and especially humble to be surrounded by such influences and role models. Having the opportunity to learn from all of the educators in our industry and having all of this encouragement coming from them has really enabled and empowered me in my career… especially coming from my parents. I know that my confidence, my desire, my passion, and my willingness to better myself were all influenced by being exposed to these amazing role models.
I have come to believe that the way people act affects your mood. When you have a grumpy client come in the spa for a treatment and they are complaining about certain things, doesn’t it have a great potential to sway your mood? By the time they leave, they have more than likely given all of their bad energy to you. It is contagious. It takes concentrated effort to combat bad energy. If you aren’t already making a conscious effort, try to take some extra time and define a few positive role models to surround yourself with. Go to an educational class, conference, or trade show and talk to the leaders of our industry. That is what they are here for. See how their positive attitude has brought them to where they are now. Let them inspire you to be a better individual. They take pride in their work and their common commitment and objective is to grow our industry and make you, the aesthetician, become a better professional.
It makes me proud and confident to have such optimism and constructive criticism come from the people around me. They are here for me if I need help. And they are here for you, too. Aesthetics International Association (AIA) is a strong, growing network of professionals, providing you with Legends and Ambassadors at your fingertips. On the AIA website, there are accessible blogs and forums for you to connect with the industry leaders of today. I believe that in addition to the education, the learning, the technology, and other things that we discover, one of our greatest opportunities is to surround ourselves with positive people who love to teach us and who love to share with us their knowledge.
Being the best I can be,
Amanda
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