How Grooming Has Changed My Life
I was a full time Mom when I discovered grooming. I never really thought about what I would do when my three children grew up. My life was busy and full of family activities. I wasn’t looking for anything. Grooming became a part of my life by accident. It all started when we brought a standard poodle puppy home in 2002.
Looking back, I can compare grooming to learning how to speak a foreign language. I was clueless. It was not on my radar. If I ever saw a grooming shop I never gave it a second thought. No one I had ever known owned a pet that needed a haircut. I never had a cat. Yes, we had two brown shorthaired mutts when I was a kid. Their grooming consisted of taking them in the back yard and washing them with a hose. Twice a year they went to the vet to have their nails clipped. Yup, that was my conception of grooming.
I would love to share a funny story with you. You have my permission to laugh and cringe at the same time! Can I tell what I did to the poor gal that groomed my poodle puppy for the first time? I asked if I could stay and watch and when she said yes, I brought my video camera! I can only imagine what she was thinking when she saw me whip that out. I bet she couldn’t wait to get rid of me! If Facebook was around at the time, I’m sure I would have been the topic of her posts.
Sometimes things are meant to happen for a reason. I started at square one when I became involved in grooming. I was fifty years old, no spring chicken. I went to grooming school and jumped right into my own business. I groomed for three years. Then one night, I had an idea -to write an outline of my business. That was the night Go Mobile And Succeed was born. Up until then I had never written a word in my life. I was a lousy typist. I was scared of my computer and I had a deep-seated fear of public speaking. It was daunting but I plugged away, grooming everyday, writing and rewriting every weekend for a year. I was driven from head to toe.
My good friend Daryl Conner gave me some good advice along the way. She sent me off to Toastmasters International to conquer my fear of public speaking. Oh I went all right…hating every moment of it but I knew it was working. When I started I would have preferred to go to the dentist to have a tooth pulled! I remember how terrified I was to get up in front of the group and talk for six minutes! I felt my brain cooking in my head!
I do feel blessed to go to work everyday to a job that I love. Nothing is more magical and addictive then making that little doggy or kitty on my grooming table look cute. I never get tired of it. It’s always a thrill. I’ve grown into all my activities in the grooming industry, every single one. Everything I’ve ever done has been a labor of love but now my role is becoming clearer to me as time goes by. Yes, I want to help you succeed in whatever you hope to accomplish in your grooming career but what I really want to do is motivate and inspire you in your lifetime. If you are discouraged by others, don’t listen. Go out and make it happen.
I will always remember the moment I told my seventy five year old mother that I was interested in going to grooming school. We were having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I’ll always remember that moment because it was a turning point in my life for me. She told me you are never too old to learn something new. She was the one who gave me the courage to take that first step into following my dreams and go to grooming school. I took her advice and it was the best thing I ever did. Thank you Mom. I love you.
