I am one of those YES people. If an opportunity comes my way, my first instinct is to say YES. You want me to present for your students? I would love to! You want me to lead a Saturday morning music therapy group? Sure!

When you are as passionate as I am about music therapy, it’s easy to say yes to every opportunity that comes along. It’s exciting!

But it’s also draining. This hit me hard last year when I was lying in bed not wanting to get up. This was not the usual me! Typically, I spring out of bed, ready and excited to start the day. But this day in particular was part  of another week where I had worked a 7-day work week.

That meant that during the week I worked at UCP (my full-time, Monday-Friday 7:30am-3pm position). Afterwards, I drove and saw my private clients in their homes during the afternoon and evening hours. Following that, I completed all my ‘business’ work at night (blogging, emailing parents, writing reports, etc.). And that was only the weekdays! On Saturday mornings I would get up for my music therapy groups and library programs. Then on Sundays I would wake up for my group at the Friendship Circle. Whew!

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around I was beat. I didn’t want to do any thing else related to music therapy. I had lost some of the pizazz that I once had. This felt terrible because music therapy is my passion! I still felt it, but it wasn’t the same.

That was my wake up call. I needed to be more discerning about what I was saying YES to. And I needed to start saying NO to things that were “extra”….things that didn’t excite me…and things that would take away from the energy I put into the clients I already had.

Here are some of the changes I made:

– Hired a subcontractor to handle any future requests for music therapy services rather than adding “just one more session” to my packed week

– Moved my Saturday morning group to a Tuesday evening so I would have at least one day a week to stay in bed till noon if I so desired

– Carved out Wednesdays and Saturdays for blogging. No more random blogging. It’s scheduled.

Hiring a subcontractor has allowed me to connect inquiring parents with quality music therapy services without overloading my schedule to the point where I’m not giving the best of myself. Moving my Saturday morning group has given me a day to sleep in (always needed), a day to lounge by the pool, and a day to regroup for my next sessions. When I explained the reason for the move to the parents, they were more than understanding. And I know they appreciated me being forthright with them. Setting a dedicated time for blogging has helped me maintain a consistent schedule to get my ideas out and connect with my readers. (I hope they appreciate that, too!)

Saying NO to “just one more thing” has allowed me to put more time and love into treating the clients I already have. I have more energy and can give them 100%, which is what they deserve.

Time to Take Action!

Leave a comment below and let us know: How you handle the multitude of things going on in your life? How do you graciously say no when you have too much on your plate?

The post How Saying No Helped My Business Grow appeared first on Wholesome Harmonies, LLC.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I am looking forward to some much needed R&R today, as well as fireworks at the Biltmore Hotel tonight! I hope you are spending your 4th of July in a relaxing way and that you’ll be enjoying it with family and friends. :)

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you most likely have seen me post about my *Music Therapy Gems*. These are moments where the children I work with do or say something that completely lights up my day. I absolutely love working with children – I love their energy, their capacity to give so much love, and their perspective on life.

Since it’s a holiday and a fun day, I thought I’d share with you some of the best of the best of my *Music Therapy Gems*

* One of my guitar students said the other day “That’s a quarter note, that’s a half note…and that’s a little lightning bolt!” (an interesting way of looking at a quarter rest!)

* Before a session one of my Kindergartens had a new watch she wanted to show me. I asked her “Wow, what time is it?” She looked at it and said “Music time!”

* One of the mom’s told me her son was given a little guitar by his cousin. He picked it up, put it in his lap, and said with conviction, “I Amy.”

* There’s no better feeling then when a teen says “That’s cool!” to one of your activities

* “I like playing on the black keys, they always sound good” said one of my piano students

* After I demonstrated how to play a piece on piano, my student said “Good job Miss Amy, 10 points for compliance.”

* A young piano student’s excuse for why he was too tired to continue playing: “My hands, Miss Amy, they lost their power.”

* On Graduation Day, one of the Kindergarteners asked me: “Can you come to my new school and be my music therapist?”

* There is nothing better than hearing a child say in music therapy “I’m happy.”

Going back through these I had a good laugh all over again. Some of the comments I had forgotten about and they definitely made me smile. :) Whatever client population you work with, make sure you keep your eyes and ears open for music therapy gems. They keep you motivated, remind you to not take things to seriously, and remind you that we have the best job in the world.

What are some of YOUR music therapy gems? Leave a comment below!

Image courtesy of [MR LIGHTMAN] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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