Hands Across America – Massage for Haiti

Out of tragedy comes compassion and hope. Our Admissions Coordinator of Privai Academy, Gloria Coppola was inspired to take the generous hearts and gifted hands of the healing arts community that thrives in one city and coordinate efforts to organize an event that would donate resources to support the people of Haiti through Partners in Health.

 

On January 31, 2010, Privai Academy hosts Massage for Haiti, Hands Across America. Within 24 hours of confirming the concept and sharing the idea with a close network of professionals, the donations started pouring in. Thousands of dollars and dozens of hours were donated to contribute to help raise money for this cause. Within 48 hours, four other cities had signed up to become part of the Hands Across America and have committed to hosting their own events to raise money.

 

I am truly amazed at the effort, dedication and outpouring of support that the community and now country is sharing for this cause. Please join us on Sunday, January 31^st, 2010 from 1-4pm at Privai Academy located at Exit 51 on Interstate 40 in front of the Fun Depot!

 

Many thanks to those that are making this happen, but especially to Gloria Coppola who has spearheaded this event and made this flickering thought a national event!

 

With gratitude,

Ilana Alberico

Founding Partner, Privai Academy

Setting SMART goals

 

Close your eyes and imagine your dream life? What does it look like, feel like, include? Are you on your path right now to living your dream?

 

Life is not a series of events that "just happens." You actually play a role in paving the path of your experiences. Your dream life may seem like a far off distant experience, but you actually have great power in aiding your dreams to come true. Taking the first step of your journey is as simple as sitting down and setting some goals. According to Tom Venuto, "Success psychologists say that 95% - 97% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 3-5% have written goals and succeed." In order for you to find yourself living your best life, take time to create written goals to help you succeed.

 

I recently spoke with my husband about his goals for the year. He said his goal was, "To learn as much as I can to improve myself as an athlete." (he is a Mixed Martial Arts fighter). On first glance, this seems like a reasonable goal, but it's not. This is an empty, sure fire failure as far as goal setting is concerned. So, I asked him to think about what accomplishments would provide him with the knowledge he needed to improve himself as an athlete. I said, "Imagine that it is one year from now, what have you accomplished?" He simply said, "Trained for 8 weeks at a professional school. Increased my record to 5-0. Documented my food/training/emotions on a daily basis to learn what affects me as an athlete."

 

Goals have to resonate with five metrics. Luckily, the metrics spell an easy to remember word, SMART. The goals my husband spouted off each meet the SMART criteria and according to research he now has a higher percentage of achieving these goals. Note that his original goal "to learn as much as I can to improve myself as an athlete" was eventually broken into three different SMART goals.

 

Now its your turn. What would you like to achieve? Write down your goals and then measure them against the following acronym.

 

 

 

 

S= Specific

The goal needs to be specific. Make sure that it specifically answers the W's, who, what, where, when, why. A general goal would be, "eating healthy overall" and a specific goal would be, "Document my food intake daily." Being specific helps you understand exactly what it is that you are working towards.

M=Measurable

The goal needs to be measurable. Saying that you want to "learn as much as you can" is not measurable. Saying that you want to "improve your record to 5-0" is. At the end of the year, there will either be a 5-0 record, or not. Making sure your goal is measurable helps you stay on track.

A=Attainable

Does this goal make sense for you? If the goal is "Train for eight weeks at a professional school," make sure that this is attainable. Do professional schools exist? Do they offer training? Will your job allow you extended time off? Make sure your goal is attainable. Setting goals that are attainable will build your self confidence as you achieve them. Goals that once seemed unattainable will begin to become a reality as your expand your horizons to achieve the goal.

R=Realistic

You must be willing and able to achieve this goal. Be realistic, but not undemanding on yourself. Setting your sights high will allow you to be more motivated to achieve the goal. You must really believe that you can achieve the goal and understand that you will have to exert effort to ensure that you reach it.

T=Time Dated

Making sure that your goal has an end time attached keeps you accountable. Having a time dated goal creates a sense of urgency. A deadline makes you work harder to achieve the goal and minimizes procrastination. If you want to lose 10 pounds, make sure you indicate by when.

 

The more you think about your future and your accomplishments, the higher your chances of being successful. Happy Goal Setting!

 

Ilana Craig Alberico, is a Spa Consultant who specializes in creating successful business and management models, creative branding design concepts, and operations for unique spa properties.  She has consulted in the design, development, and operations of boutique and destination spas.  Formerly a Spa Director with Noble House Hotels and Resorts, a Spa Supervisor and Trainer with the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, and a massage therapist, she offers proficiency in both business and in the healing arts.  She is passionate about education and dedicated to elevating the professionalism of the spa industry through no nonsense education and is the Founding Partner of Privai Academy an accredited and licensed provider of massage and esthetics training.