Are you your own advocate?

Or are you passing the responsibility of your emotional well-being to things outside of yourself... 

... things you probably can't control?

So many of us in veterinary medicine do just that.

We conclude that it is challenging, or even impossible, to create joyful and peaceful lives while also working in the veterinary profession. 

We're wrong.

Creating happy lives is no more difficult in veterinary medicine than it is in any other profession or life situation.

It requires an intentional choice.

It requires an understanding of what is really influencing the way we feel.

It requires personal ownership of our own experience.

It requires us to define and pursue what we want. 

If we don't purposely decide what we want for our lives, our lives just happen to us.

Often we recognize we don't like the "hand we were dealt" but we miss recognizing we played a role in dealing that hand.

Every time we don't intentionally decide something, a choice is still being made...

There is still personal responsibility in the results of those non-choices.

Whatever story you're telling about your life... let's shake that up... let's see it for what it really is.

There is only one you. 

You have only one life.

This life of yours, it's not messed up... you're right on track.

This moment in time was always coming...

The time to intentionally decide to take control of your future is now.

You don't know where to start... 

I've got you.

Vet Life Academy.

Everything you want for your life is one intentional decision away.

It's go time.

Check it out at https://joyfuldvm.com/vetlifeacademy

Scenario: You're asked a yes-or-no question.

How do you respond?

Yes, without hesitating?

Awesome!

No, without regret?

Excellent! 

No, with remorse because you really want to say yes?

Uh-oh... trouble ahead...

Yes, with bitterness and anger because you really want to say no?

Welcome to the People Pleasers Club... your future is at risk.

Not Joking.

How did yes-or-no questions get so complicated?!

Fear.

It all comes down to fear.

Fear of disapproval.

Fear of conflict.

Fear of unknown consequences. 

Fear of judgment.

Fear of saying No. 

If you're saying Yes when you really mean No, then you're probably People Pleasing.

If you're saying No, but justifying your answer with "I can't..." or "I shouldn't..." then you still aren't owning your choice... 

So who's getting hurt here?

YOU ARE!

People pleasing and justifying are self-defeating and disempowering actions.

They also aren't polite or kind because they are disingenuous in nature.

These actions destroy self-confidence.

These actions inhibit your ability to create the life you want and to become the person you are meant to be.

I dig into it all in this episode - Episode 14.

Resources mentioned:

• Vet Life Academy & the Setting Boundaries Workshop bonus 
• Setting Boundaries Blueprint

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Therapy or Coaching?

It's a question I'm asked frequently by my veterinary colleagues.

It's yet another example of binary thinking... either/or...

For some of us, both might be the best choice.

Mostly it just comes down to our ultimate goals.

If we want to heal the past and put it to rest, therapy is great for this.

If we want to move beyond the past to intentionally create something different for the future, coaching is the answer.

There is a lot of stigmas, even now, associated with therapy.

The shame is unnecessary.

There is no place for judgment, neither self-judgment nor the judgment of others when it comes to people seeking the help they need.

We aren't supposed to have it all together all the time.

Sometimes we need help, and we should not be afraid to seek it.

But too often, we keep our pain bottled inside... where it grows into something far greater and more negatively influential than it really is. 

We make choices as if that pain is our only reality.

It's not. 

Therapy and coaching can both help in this regard.

Bottom line: 
Get the help you need.
You are not alone.
Everything you want is possible for your life.

Resources Mentioned:

• Webinar: Everything Is Possible
• Coaching Program: Vet Life Academy

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

How do you think your life should be?

For that matter, how do you believe the world should be?

We all have our opinions...

... and when it comes to our own lives, the gap between what we believe it should be like and what it actually is, creates emotional turmoil.

This is true in our vet med jobs, our relationships with others, and even our evaluations of ourselves.

When we focus on what should be, we miss the opportunity in what is.

Even when the reality isn't as we'd like it to be, embracing the truth creates power and opportunity... in veterinary medicine and in life. 

The land of "should be" creates shame, inaction, and hopelessness. 

It's binary.  Either / Or. 

It's limiting... forcing you to experience your life as the effect of external things.

It's victimizing... it builds a false belief that you have no control.

It kills self-confidence. 

So what else? 

How about AND...

"And" opens up opportunity.

"And" focuses on what's possible.

"And" creates compassion and hope.

Resources Mentioned:

Vet Life Academy   

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Our circumstances don't stop us from pursuing our goals and dreams...

... our thought patterns do. 

Our minds are complex, to say the least.

Our thought patterns are layered, and very influential... but not always in a good way.

It's so easy to believe that our circumstances are the problem...

... that our circumstances are the reason why we aren't living our best lives.

The Eastern Bluebirds on our farm clearly reminded me this is never true... and I'm sharing that story today on the podcast.

Unconventional? Probably.

A powerful illustration of truth? Yes!

Once we let the idea that our circumstances can keep stop us from achieving our dreams take the seed, our minds go to work gathering the evidence to prove the idea true.

Powerful autopilot.
Basic neuroscience. 
Detrimental outcome. 
Unintentional result.

Left unchecked, our thoughts will lead us in directions we never intentionally meant to go. 

We don't even realize it's happening if we don't know we have a choice in what we think about.

Read that again.

You have a choice in what you think about.

In those moments when horror and panic try to take over... do you really want them to drive?

Emotions drive action, always.

But emotion is only created by thoughts... and thoughts can be intentionally created. 

Don't like your results? 
Check your actions.

Don't like your actions? 
Uncover your thought patterns.

Intentionally change your mind, and intentionally change your life. 

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

You know what they say about assumptions...

It holds true in Vet Med as well.

There is a collection of broad-sweeping beliefs that many of us have about our lives as veterinary professionals.

The most influential beliefs are about the impact of our career choice on our time and income potential. 

Through the normal course of our veterinary careers, we've absorbed these beliefs from those who have gone before us. 

The perspectives are common.

We've accepted, without question, these conclusions as truth.

Absolute truth.

Together they become the lens through which we see our lives and what is possible... 

... and what is impossible...

In this episode, I peel apart the assumptions, examine how these assumptions have led us to draw conclusions that hold us back, and share how you can put your own mind to work to find the solutions that will result in fulfilling Vet Med's life and career.

Resources Mentioned:

Setting Boundaries Workshop

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

No doubt, 2020 thus far has been quite a ride... and we're only halfway through. 
True end of the world? Maybe.
Getting back to normal soon? Not even an option. 

As I looked back at just some of the things 2020 has brought us and considered the way we humans have reacted, I see the silver lining. Do you see it?

Many of us are missing it because of our current suffering.
Our fear, uncertainty, and grief keep us from recognizing what else is happening.

The world is changing.
People are finding the courage to use their voices.
Organizations are adjusting the way they do business, permanently.
We are no longer willing to settle for what was before.

There is no going back... and that's a good thing. 

This is the time to make the massive changes you've dreamed of for your life.
At first consideration, it might appear the timing is terrible.
I'd argue it's never been better. 

Resources Mentioned:

1. Article: 28 things you probably forgot happened in the whirlwind that 2020 has been
2. Vet Life Academy

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

The noise and action of the world can drown out what is real. In this short and sweet episode, I offer truth and encouragement to veterinary professionals, and every person,  who might need a gentle reminder that they are enough. 

Your worth is infinite.

Your value is priceless.

Your potential is limitless.

Your purpose is real.

Your dreams and goals are needed in this world.

Don't give up.

Resources:

Vet Life Academy

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

The quality of veterinary clinic culture is directly related to the gap between expectation and reality.

The 5 components of culture in veterinary organizations include:

1. Leverage
2. Schedule
3. Pay
4. Policies
5. Leadership

At the time of employment and onboarding, expectations in all of these areas are created. What we experience, then, either aligns with expectations or does not. When it doesn't, a gap between expectation and reality is created, trust is eroded, and culture suffers. 

A suffering culture is displayed in the actions and interactions of employees and leaders. It is these behaviors and the way we feel as we witness these behaviors, that creates the toxicity we often reference. 

In the thick of it, we totally miss that there is ALWAYS one person we can trust in every single situation...  one person who has our back no matter what... the only person who can alter the misery we are experiencing... that person is you.

The quality of clinic culture is directly related to the gap between expectation and reality. 

The personal impact of clinic culture is created only by our thoughts about it. 

Wondering what you can do to change your personal experience? 

Check out this episode and join us at Vet Life Academy. To learn more, check out my free webinar joyfuldvm.com/webinar

Resources Mentioned:

• Vet Life Academy
• Free Webinar

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Have you ever been talking to a client and you see them zone out so you switch gears to try to deliver your message a different way, all the while watching for any signs of comprehension or consent?

Or have you been delivering unexpected news and find yourself in an explanation loop... rationalizing, justifying, convincing... all while that little voice in your head screams, "Just Stop Talking!".

It's all pretty common. 

There are four main reasons we talk to veterinary clients:

1. Conversational
2. Gathering information
3. Educating
4. Updating

These four reasons also have four levels of potential risk of personal emotional impact and confrontation.

In this episode I break them all down, with examples, and share how adjusting your focus will make both you and the client feel better... not Vet Med word vomit required.

Music Credit: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay