Beating the Burnout.
All during my grooming career I have made it a priority to attend as many trade shows and grooming seminars as possible. With each trip I would come home excited about what I do and ready to put what I had learned into practice. This kept what I do fresh & exciting and I LOVED my job! Lets face it, this is a very hard, demanding job. You cannot do this for a living if you do not love it! However, without an occasional kick in the pants, the dreaded groomer burnout can take you by surprise.
Over the last few years, my time was not as open as in years past. I was not practicing what I preach and did not attend any trade shows for about 5 years. I would say every year...."I'm going next year." It just wasn't feasible when the time came. The commitment to my family and demands of my job, just kept me from taking the trip. Over the past months, I have noticed my excitement about my job was diminishing. I was just going through the motions...I had succumbed to groomer burn out!
I wrote this article just hours after my return from Groom Expo in Hershey, Pa.,www.groomexpo.com. I made the trip with friends shopped and went to a couple of seminars. Once again, I reveled in the awesome grooming jobs of the competitors, shook the hands and chatted with the Groomer Has It stars, http://animal.discovery.com/tv/groomer-has-it/groomer-has-it.html, and gawked at all the new products on the market. May I dare say, I feel a bit of the inspiration coming back? On the drive home I thought about doing this blog. Who knows where it may lead? If for nothing else, it will be a journal of pet stylist who needs to get the thoughts out of her head into black & white.
Moral to this story? Never stop learning! Do not ever be so arrogant to think you know it all! Every time I talk to other groomers, or read an article, or attend a seminar/trade show, I learn something new. After 38 years in this business I'm still learning and will never stop! Take the time to subscribe to trade magazines, go to dog shows, talk to breeders/handlers, think about being a competition groomer. Utilize the internet and all it has to offer, websites, blogs...anything groomer related! Be a sponge and absorb all the info you can. That is my advice to you. Be inspired to be the best you can be. Be proud of what you do for a living and fight off burnout. All my best, groomers!
Over the last few years, my time was not as open as in years past. I was not practicing what I preach and did not attend any trade shows for about 5 years. I would say every year...."I'm going next year." It just wasn't feasible when the time came. The commitment to my family and demands of my job, just kept me from taking the trip. Over the past months, I have noticed my excitement about my job was diminishing. I was just going through the motions...I had succumbed to groomer burn out!
I wrote this article just hours after my return from Groom Expo in Hershey, Pa.,www.groomexpo.com. I made the trip with friends shopped and went to a couple of seminars. Once again, I reveled in the awesome grooming jobs of the competitors, shook the hands and chatted with the Groomer Has It stars, http://animal.discovery.com/tv/groomer-has-it/groomer-has-it.html, and gawked at all the new products on the market. May I dare say, I feel a bit of the inspiration coming back? On the drive home I thought about doing this blog. Who knows where it may lead? If for nothing else, it will be a journal of pet stylist who needs to get the thoughts out of her head into black & white.
Moral to this story? Never stop learning! Do not ever be so arrogant to think you know it all! Every time I talk to other groomers, or read an article, or attend a seminar/trade show, I learn something new. After 38 years in this business I'm still learning and will never stop! Take the time to subscribe to trade magazines, go to dog shows, talk to breeders/handlers, think about being a competition groomer. Utilize the internet and all it has to offer, websites, blogs...anything groomer related! Be a sponge and absorb all the info you can. That is my advice to you. Be inspired to be the best you can be. Be proud of what you do for a living and fight off burnout. All my best, groomers!
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