Big day, big goals.

Today is Superbowl Sunday, the day that most Americans spend sitting on the couch, eating chicken wings, pizza, and guacamole. We spend our evening watching the biggest football game of the year showcasing the excellence of the players on the field and the musical talent of the halftime show.  Ironically, we are one month into the new year and many of us are struggling to keep our New Year’s resolutions and 2020 goals.   I certainly am.

The comparison can be depressing.  We feel tired, overwhelmed, and frustrated because we don’t see the results that we expected from our hard work over the past four weeks.  We set some big goals at the beginning of the year, and then we got busy putting those goals into action.  Trouble is that in the past thirty plus days, we have not seen the expected big results. 

This is how new accomplishments and big goals are supposed to go. 

The progress is never as easy or as fast as we would like it to be.   When we don’t see fast or obvious results, our negative brain starts working against us thinking thing like: maybe I should give up, maybe this goal is too much for me, or this is too hard for someone like me.

The players in the Super Bowl did not just wake up one day with a Super Bowl spot.  Shakira and Jennifer Lopez did not stumble out of bed onto the half time stage.  To arrive on the world’s biggest stage, it takes many many hours of intense practice, training, and work. So why should it be any different for me and my goals?

How do we stick with our goals when the plan gets difficult?

 

Push through discomfort.  Part of being successful is learning how to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that come along with doing something new and working towards goals. 

Celebrate the small victories.  Each step towards a goal is one inch closer to your dreams.  If you can see the small steps as victories, you will be less likely to want to give up when the going gets tough.

Realize that your brain is a liar.  When negative thoughts arise for you, understand that they are your worst enemy.  You have the ability to use your higher brain to spot the lies and not fall for them. Be prepared to feel negative emotion around your goals and just accept them.

When your brain begins to doubt and pull you off of your goal, try just committing. You have the ability to completely ignore your brain's need to "see progress" in order to continue.  The small day to day progress is insignificant and irrelevant.  The day you quit could be just the day that things break for you.  Once you quit, there is NO chance that you will succeed.

You have decided to accomplish your goal -- decide and just do it.

Dr. Julie Cappel

"The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark." –Michelangelo

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Gratitude on call.

It is one of the most common things that I read in the rants on the veterinary/veterinary technician Facebook groups.  Veterinarians and veterinary technicians that are disgusted, angry and even bitter about people asking work questions when they are off duty. 

We all know how this goes.  You attend a dinner party, family gathering, school event or even a funeral.  Someone discovers that you are a veterinarian or work in the veterinary field.  The next statement is, “I have a question for you.”  Not, “May I ask you ask you a question?” or “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”, although sometimes the polite ones start this way.  More often than not, they just assume that you are longing to hear their drawn-out, crazy animal story and answer all of their related (and unrelated) questions.  The questions may not even be about their own pet.  It is their brother’s dog, their neighbor’s cat, the school rabbit, or some treatment that the groomer or breeder recommended to them or their friend. 

It happens all the time and we should expect it. How often I find myself avoiding the “What do you do for a living?” question?   We know that we cannot stop it from happening, but maybe we can develop better coping strategies to help keep us sane when it does.  

 

Is there a better way that we can handle these situations and think differently to keep us from getting stressed?

Here are a few that I suggest.

Look for the humor in their story or the situation. When people are talking about their dog’s diarrhea at a dinner party, leaving the other guests gagging on their food -- that is some funny stuff.   I love to listen to people try to explain something that the neighbor’s, brothers, friend’s dog ate or surgery that they had. It is funny when they mispronounce a medication or disease that they read about on the internet.  If you listen for humor and enjoy their stories, then you will feel less stress in the conversation whether you choose to give advice or not.

  

Set boundaries.  There is no reason that you have to answer any question when you are not at work.  We are such people pleasers and we may feel awkward or selfish if we choose not to answer a medical question in our off-work hours.   The truth is that you can set a boundary at any time just for self-care.  No need to be rude, but you can say something like, “I am sorry, I prefer not to comment on a pet that I have not examined.”  “I am here to (fill in the blank) but I would be happy to examine your pet tomorrow if you want to call the office and schedule an appointment.”  Stand up for yourself and set a boundary to protect your off time.

Practice empathy and think generously.  If you employ empathy, you will begin to understand why people do what they do.  They care about their pets and may have some legitimate concerns. They are just reacting to the good news that fate has given them an opportunity by dropping a veterinarian in their lap.   If you understand their motivation, and maintain a generous mindset, it will be easier to listen and give your best advice.  If you tell them to take their pet for an exam, you can do it from a place of generosity and empathy. Do it because you want to be the person that treats others well.  Do it because you want to be the person that happily helps others.

Dr. Julie Cappel

“That's what I consider true generosity: You give your all and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.” —Simone de Beauvoir

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The Joy of Life-Long Learning

I am currently in sunny Orlando, Florida attending the VMX (Veterinary Meeting and Expo) organized by the North American Veterinary Community.    It is said to be the largest veterinary conference in the world with over 17,000 veterinarians, veterinary technicians, managers, and veterinary team members.  We gather at the Orange County Convention Center for 5 days of veterinary learning, personal growth, leadership training, and fellowship. The number of people here is staggering.   When I arrived for the first time several years ago, I was overcome with the sheer number of people that share my profession. 

The rooms are often crowded -- my first morning session had me sitting on the floor, because I arrived a tad late after stopping to get a Starbucks. The convention center is over two million square feet, so wearing great walking shoes is a must. The bathrooms lines between classes look like a rock concert and the rooms are over air conditioned so you always need a sweater. The giveaways, in the exhibit hall, are so abundant that many people drag around wheeled carts in order to carry their loot.  Today, as I was waiting in line for a free t-shirt, a young boy in line with his dad, gave me a dance lesson - teaching me to “floss” and do the “robot”. (so cute and so fun) 

The people here are amazing, because this profession is amazing.  Veterinarians and the people that work in veterinary medicine are the cream of the crop.  They spend years in school and then spend the rest of their lives continuing to learn to care for those that cannot care for themselves. 

Why is this life-long learning so important for all of us?

It increases our self-confidence. The more we commit to learning the better we feel about our capabilities.   We are often able to do more, charge more, and feel more accomplished.  

It is important to us functionally.  If we want to continue to work in an ever changing profession and be proficient, we need to continue to learn.  Whether it is formal classroom learning or simply talking to another person that shares our profession, we need to learn about advances in order to remain relevant.

It keeps our passion alive.  In order to continue to work in a highly demanding field and do it well you have to have passion.  Learning something new, helps to rekindle our interest and refuels our passion.

If you have the opportunity, be sure to attend a major veterinary conference like the VMX.  You will learn more than you ever imagined, and you may even get the opportunity to learn some new dance steps.

Dr. Julie Cappel

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”– Harry S Truman

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