Sometimes you know exactly in which direction your life is taking you. Something grabs you by the hand and from the very first moment you know it’s right. Every step you take from then on is leading you toward that one goal until you arrive triumphantly at your destiny.
This is not one of those kinds of journeys.
My path to massage therapy school was much more of a meandering, rambling, multi-directional one, and much like my plans for my career as a massage therapist, how I got interested in massage therapy isn’t really clear. I can’t say I had one definitive moment when the light bulb went off and I knew this was the right path for me. I can say, however, that I find the human body absolutely fascinating and that I learn best by doing, not just reading. My favorite parts of my undergraduate degree in Exercise Science were when we got to palpate things and try things out for ourselves. Those were the things that stuck in my mind. If you have taken a class with me or have asked me a question about something that you have going on in your body, you know that I like to feel what’s going on and make you feel what I’m feeling, too. It’s seeing with your hands, and it’s pretty powerful.
I always knew I wanted to go on and continue schooling in some way. I’m far too inquisitive and curious to not keep learning. Especially in my field, continually learning and staying up to date with the newest research isn’t just a good idea. It’s the only way to stay current as a professional. If you don’t constantly update and expand your library of knowledge, you become outdated and obsolete. That’s unacceptable for me. With this at my core, I set my sights on becoming a physical therapist right out of undergrad. Then I wanted to work in corporate wellness. After I moved on from those ideas, I decided to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. From there I set my sights on pursuing a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. See what I mean about meandering?
After some soul-searching talks with different people and a look at all of my interests, I decided that massage therapy was the best fit for me for the time being. It allows me to be hands-on and to broaden and deepen my knowledge of and respect for the human body. Going back to basic anatomy and kinesiology has been a nice refresher, but it’s the fact that I get to see it in a new light that really has me excited. It allows me to explore a different way to help people become who they want to be. Sometimes you just need to slam a medicine ball to loud, driving music after a stressful day at work. Sometimes you need someone to give you a scalp massage while woodwind instruments slowly help you forget your to-do list, at least for a little while. I want to help people do both of those things, and in 10 months I will have a license to add to my certification and degree that will allow me to do that professionally.
In the future, I plan on adding more knowledge to my arsenal. I will revisit some old interests, so maybe one day I’ll have a business card that reads: Jordan Meyer, B.S., CPT, LMT, DPT, MS-TCM. As Leonardo da Vinci said, “The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” So far in my life, that has been spot on.