Wisdom, knowledge, balanced living? News flash folks: I am not a “balanced-life guru.” I am a nail industry expert who has grown from being a nail artist and owner with the daily gig of operating a nail salon to now coaching beauty industry professiona

ls on creating better businesses and having a life that they love.

Over the past year I’ve focused on cultivating my inner self and creating abundant real personal power. Before I tell you how the search for life balance occurred, let me give you a little bit of history so you can know and relate to who I am and where I came from.

I owned a Florida-based nail salon for 15 years with my mother. My typical workday started at 9 a.m. with my first and second clients. You all know the routine. You delegate one client to your assistant, while you apply your expert touch on the other client and then you shift at the precise moment. We’ve all made a science out of how to be the most productive with our day and our clients. My assistants and I were booked solid all week. My day ended at 9 p.m. — that is, if no desperate working woman had to squeeze in a late appointment. I got to the point where eating dinner was all I could handle after my workday before I hit the sack (make that dinner and lunch because somewhere along the way, lunch was quickly forgotten. Heck, I would have delegated that to my assistant as well, if that were at all possible!)

A typical workweek ran from Tuesday to Saturday. Mondays were spent on banking and bookkeeping, replenishing supplies, and other business upkeep. That left Sunday as my only day off. During this time I was also a consultant for a manufacturer, so once a month, off I went to catch a flight on Saturday evening to make it to a seminar or a trade show on Sunday and Monday. Then I’d be back in Miami on Tuesday just in time to start the “normal” workweek all over again. This left three Sundays a month to divide my waking hours between family, friends, and my significant other. Oh, yes, and time to myself. Did I forget time to myself? I knew I didn’t live a balanced life, but the nail salon had been in my family ever since I was old enough to work. I grew up in the business, and that was my only focus.

Toward the end of my salon-owning career, I absolutely loved the nail industry. I had a great business, but I had lost a sense of self and time for the people in my life who mattered most to me. My goal of being a salon owner and nail artist had been fulfilled. I had maximized my service ticket to $115 per client, and I had duplicated myself with two assistants who went on to become my full-time employees. Together, we grew the salon from two employees to 12 nail artists over a period of five years. Our average service ticket ranged from $65-$95, with a retail ticket average matching the top 10% of the industry. I went from being the manicurist to a successful nail artist and business owner making a six-figure income.

I had a burning passion for consulting and training. I wanted to take my salon experience and make a difference in the lives of others. I kept my ear to the ground and knew that it was just a matter of time before a new opportunity would come my way.

Life After the Salon

And, here I am. It’s been two years since we’ve sold the salon. I packed my bags and moved cross country to San Diego. I currently work with Salon Training International, a consulting firm committed to globally revolutionizing the beauty industry. Our commitment is to deliver world-class business education to salon professionals. I’ve taken on what has out to be the biggest commitment of my life and landed the job of my dreams. Focusing on the industry I love, I work with a company that creates extraordinary business results and supports my journey to achieve a balanced life.

My typical day still starts at 9 a.m. I just have different to-dos (i.e. meetings, profit and loss analyses, consulting phone calls, training sessions with my mentors, and providing business support to beauty professionals). Normally my day ends at 6 p.m. Some days I decide to stay late to catch up on work, which allows me to leave the office early on other days.

I’ve taken on new challenges. For example, once a week I am enrolled in a computer class at night. This is not my favorite thing to do, but increasing my technical knowledge increases my ability to help others.

Three weekends out of four in a month, I’m off on a plane to teach a seminar or work a trade show. I usually return to San Diego by Tuesday evening, only to start the cycle again.

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The Same, But Different

Déjà vu? I know that it sounds like I’m still as busy as ever— I still travel on the weekends, and work during the week. I want to be clear, the difference between my current career and owning the salon is passion. My enthusiasm for life is so strong.Work is no longer the only thing in my life. One of the things I am passionate about in my life is work. The effect of passion is you don’t always know when to stop.

Many of us plan our lives around what we perceive to be our lifetime. With apparent time on our hands, things like romance, children, family, a trip around the world, or that French cooking class we always wanted to take are easily set aside for after we have achieved our career goals. In that, another problem arises. Career-driven people never really run out of goals. There is always another step and another excuse to set those other things aside.

A lot of “artists” tend to define ourselves by our careers, which explains why we’re so driven in that aspect of our lives. Sometimes we overlook that work is just work: Over and over again,we forget that a job or a career doesn’t define who we are. The prestige, the recognition, and the paychecks are strong motivating factors that satisfy our sense of fulfillment in life. But how many of us have actually stopped to reflect on our life’s purpose? My partner once said, “I plan my career around my life, not my life around my career.” You know, I never really stopped to think about that statement until now.

Life isn’t a race to the top of the corporate ladder; it doesn’t matter who has the healthiest financial portfolio, or the biggest house. The most important thing we should bank isn’t money, but memories of love, life, family, and friends. In the end, our lives are measured, not by careers or wealth, but by the number of lives we have touched, moved, and inspired. How much time do I really have until my parents are gone, or until my brother and I completely grow apart? How much time do I really have myself — 70, 80, 95 years? It’s funny how I simply assume I’m going to live until that ripe old age.

I have altered my life by acknowledging that I am in search of balance and I am creating more time for myself and the people I love: my mother, father, brother, friends, and my partner.

I have focused on balancing my life by participating in personal growth education courses, taking care of my physical body, and giving myself permission to take time off from work. I enjoy life to its fullest. I enjoy making spontaneous decisions. I’ve stopped focusing on everybody else’s needs and now focus on my own. Every day I awake with a full cup of enjoyment.

Were these words of wisdom? I’ve already mentioned I’m not a “balanced-life guru.” But I did stop to reflect, and I think I’ve taken the first steps to living a balanced lifestyle. I can share with you only my reflections. Maybe this will trigger reflections on your part. Maybe you should stop for romance, or for your children, your family, that trip around the world, or for that French cooking class. Sit and think about what is really important to you in your life and what you’d like to take to the bank.

My life vision statement gets me up every morning and motivates me. It isn’t the answer to balance; it is a roadmap that guides how I choose to spend my time: My name is Louis Mattassi, former salon owner, educator, and current STI coach. And who I am is a powerful leader who brings love, freedom, joy, and inspiration to every life I touch.

Louis Mattassi is a trainer for Salon Training International in San Diego. You can contact him at louis@salontraining.com. ■