I spent the better part of last week at a veterinary
gathering in Dallas Texas. The
program was designed to be uplifting and informative - teaching the participants everything
from human resource laws to gratitude and self-awareness. There were many
different speakers with differing approaches presented, but they were all
aiming at the same goal in some way: aiming at self-care for veterinary professionals and encouraging
a gratitude mentality.
This subject is my passion and the main reason that I
started this blog.
The one event that I found particularly enjoyable and
meaningful at the conference was the “charity” activity. The entire group of over 1000
veterinarians, hospital managers and veterinary technicians were gathered
into a room and separated into teams.
We were then given supplies and challenged to make blankets, build doghouses,
birdhouses, and dog beds for a variety of animal and human charity
organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
The collective energy in the room was so positive it was
electric. Everyone in that huge ballroom was
engaged and motivated. Why? We were giving back. We were focused on doing something to
better another. The activity
caused us to focus on the power that each of us has to overcome the negativity
of the world by doing one small thing.
On my team I met a veterinarian from Los Angeles who was
such a sunny personality that I immediately felt great about my profession and
my life. She was the kind of
person that sees the glass as half full.
She had a fantastic life outlook and gave our team added energy. She focused her energy outward and
affected us in a positive way.
This is something that you can focus on everyday to make your
own life better. You have the
power to improve your attitude by focusing on someone else. Giving back to the universe for what it
has given to you. It is a
positivity super power that is always available to you.
Start each day by feeling grateful for one small thing in
your life. It can be
something as simple as your warm bed, your cup of coffee or the roof over your head. Write it down as a way
of seeing it in a concrete way.
Then spend a few minutes thinking about something you can do for another
person today. It doesn’t have to be as complex as giving money or time to a
charity organization. It can be as
simple as happily letting someone merge into traffic on your way to work. It
can be something as simple as being positive for your team like my new friend
from Los Angeles. It can be something anonymous. In fact anonymous random acts
of kindness are often the best things you can do to make yourself feel
alive.
As veterinary professionals we do a lot of giving and it can
make us feel depleted. However, we
have the power to use giving and gratefulness as a way of improving our outlook
and feeling energized. By using the tools of gratitude and living openhandedly
you will feel the difference and realize that every little thing you do really matters
in this world.
Do one small thing.
You do matter.
Dr. Julie Cappel
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