Estheticians: Surviving and Thriving Pandemic 2020

Wow, what a weird time in history this is...

It’s horrific, it’s scary, and it’s confusing. It’s been a huge priority shift for me, that’s for sure. Although our journeys will be very different, the truth is that we are all in it together. And that brings me to my fellow Estheticians.

I have been a licensed Esthetician in the state of California since 1999, and NCEA Certified since 2008. I’ve seen a lot, I’ve had success, I’ve made mistakes (lots of them), and I’ve learned a lot. From my experience, here’s what I know:

When it comes to handling a career crisis, I have seen two types of behavior from Estheticians. (I have fallen into both categories at various times.) Up to this point in my career, a “career crisis” was limited to things like the changing of state laws which thereby limited the scope of what Estheticians can and cannot do. But right now, there is a new crisis in town and this one is written in all caps: CRISIS!

IMO, the two categories of Estheticians in career crisis are as follows:

CATEGORY 1: The Complainer/Blamer – These are the ones who spend their time and energy complaining about the crisis and endlessly pointing fingers at who’s at fault. Don’t get me wrong, in this situation complaining is certainly warranted because quite frankly this CRISIS really sucks! But unfortunately the Complainers/Blamers don’t move on from this crisis strategy, and therefore will be shocked when they finally return to work and find their current business model fails them. (You can easily identify these Estheticians because they spend a lot of time on social media….complaining and blaming.)

CATEGORY 2: The Problem Solver – These Estheticians are the ones who immediately go into CRISIS problem-solving mode. They spend their energy and their time looking for solutions. They examine options, make necessary adjustments, get quality advice and make plans accordingly. (You won’t be able to easily identify these Estheticians because they are not actively complaining on social media.)

Having spent time in both categories, I can confirm that with age comes wisdom, and here is what I have learned: The Problem Solver Estheticians will likely come through this CRISIS very well. They did not waste precious time by assuming things will instantly go back to normal and everything will be business as usual. They are less focused on who’s to blame and more focused on figuring out how to successfully navigate their way through it all.

Problem Solver Estheticians already have new plans in place, some of which they are carrying out even before they get back to work. They did research, they’ve made some adjustments, and they will be ready for the new “normal” — whatever (and whenever) that may be.

It’s entirely possible our “new normal” will result in a positive change. Things will be different certainly, but maybe they’ll be better. Maybe there will be silver linings that we cannot yet see. Maybe our old normal had some flaws that we can now let go. It’s possible this could turn out to be an opportunity for us to create something new…and better. Whatever happens, it’s important to remember that whichever direction we are pointed is the direction we will go. So choose carefully.

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