When you believe you’re beautiful, you are.
When you believe you’re worthy, you are.
When you believe you can do it, you can.

This isn’t just psycho-babble from some happiness nut, it’s grounded in neuroscience and human behavior. You probably know at least one person whose looks are fairly average...

It is SO easy to focus on what’s wrong. We’re taught to focus on a problem in order to find a solution, and that’s a fine way to go about solving issues in your own life.

When you take that intelligence and intuitive knowing that you have for yourself and your own life and try to impose it on the l...

Oh, new love – is there any better feeling than that?

The reason love feels so good is that we are choosing to see the best in the other person and daydreaming of how wonderful the next meeting will be. That’s easy to do when love is new, and tougher the longer you’ve been exposed to the not-so-bes...

Maya Angelou said, “Remember – every storm runs out of rain.”

How many literal rainstorms have happened during your lifetime? Hundreds? Thousands?

The only way the number could be that high is because each storm subsided and the sun came out.

That’s a literal version of what happens in life emoti...

Everything is beautiful. Everything. It’s up to you to look at in a way that highlights its beauty, not its flaws.

Every neighborhood has that one yard filled with dandelions, threatening to scatter their floating seeds all over everyone else’s pristine lawns.

If you have one of the pristine lawns...

Do you find yourself evaluating the actions of others? The way they dress, talk, look?

We’re not born judgmental, yet many of us turn out that way to one degree or another.

Think about a time when you felt judged – it’s not a good feeling, is it? Maybe you even felt as if you needed to explain you...

Has someone been unkind to you today?
Has someone tried to manipulate you today?
Has someone lied to you today?

Since you’re dealing with human beings, you’ve probably experienced some level of all of those behaviors today, unless you’re reading this right after waking up.

You can’t control how ot...

Are you a team leader and want to inspire your team? There are a lot of leadership coaches who’ll tell you to always present a strong, confident face to your team.

I disagree.

Let your team see you struggle.
Let them see you fail.
Let them see you dust yourself off and try again.

Let them see you...

No one can see past their own expectations.

This is neuroscience in action – have you ever had this happen? You buy a new car and suddenly you see your car everywhere – maybe a different color, but it’s the same car you just chose. That’s your brain, reinforcing your decision to buy that car.

Ther...

How do you define yourself?

Have you ever thought of what you think of you? Take an uninterrupted 15 minutes or so and write down words you hear your brain say about you. Then see if you can find a gentler, kinder, more loving way to say the same thing.

For example, I remember sitting at the back ...

Does your brain keep chewing on something that’s outside of your ability to change?

I remember when Dad was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s and my brothers and I made the difficult decision to take away his car keys. I bought his car, and though he was OK with it at first, he came to believe tha...

Maybe you’ve heard the saying “time heals all wounds.” Maybe you’ve even had the experience of feeling better about something not-optimal after a certain amount of time has passed. And maybe you know someone who seems to never heal from their not-optimal experience.

Or maybe you are that person on ...

How do you feel when you expect a response from someone and they’re silent?

Do you feel judged? Disrespected? Small?

If so, you’ve gone to MSU – you have NO idea what they’re really thinking. You’re assuming a negative that they may not be thinking or feeling. Heck, maybe they didn’t even hear you...

Give the gift of grace, just as you’d like everyone to give you grace.

When someone doesn’t know something, give the gift of teaching without condescending.
When someone makes a mistake, give the gift of gently reminding them what a better path would have been.
When someone lashes out in anger, giv...

Over half of Americans don’t use all of their vacation time. Are you in that group?

You earned your time off, you use some of it and at the end of the year, you give some of it back. Would you give back your salary? I don’t think so, so why do you give back your sanity?

Time away from work to do s...

You can’t worry about someone and love them at the same time.

Worry is focusing on the weakness you see in that person, and when you’re looking at their weaknesses – which we all have! – you’re not loving them.

To a lot of people, worry feels like love, but loving someone is choosing to focus on w...

Think of the most positive person you know. They may be so positive that sometimes they annoy you with their sunny outlook. Now, take this in – that person has negative thoughts, just like you.

Neuroscience research has documented the brain’s negativity bias – it’s a survival trait that we don’t re...

You know how someone gives you the willies?
You know that one thing that when you eat it, you don’t feel good the next day?
You know there’s that one street you avoid driving down and you don’t know why?

Trust those feelings.

Gut reactions – knee-jerk responses – intuition – no matter what you cal...

What do you love to do outside of your career?

Another way to ask that question – what is your hobby? Hiking with your dog? Golf? Travel? Whatever feeds your soul, do it. When looking at your weekly calendar you should see your hobby reflected there somehow. Block out time for your hobby and don’t ...

No matter how many different ways you hear that forgiveness is good for you, you might still think that there are some people who don’t deserve your forgiveness. That's a normal, human feeling. Can I help you change your mind about that?

The concept of good and evil is drilled into us in so many wa...

Is there someone in your life who goes off unpredictably, sometimes spewing anger and resentment at you?

Yeah, that happens to us all at some point in our lives. Sometimes it’s a person you can avoid being around, and sometimes it’s a co-worker or family member.

Yikes…what then? That’s when I want...

High achievers often struggle with overwhelm and imposter syndrome. Let me say that again and say it better this time – high achievers like you often struggle with overwhelm and imposter syndrome.

You’ve been driving yourself since you were a child – to get high grades, to take tough classes, to pu...

Do you know someone who is very judgmental?

Maybe they voice unflattering opinions about women who carry expensive handbags or people who drive a large vehicle or the neighbors who have a car that doesn’t move very often? They have an opinion about everyone and it’s most often not a very nice one?

Have you ever felt completely and totally misunderstood? Isn’t that the worst feeling? And it doesn’t matter how much you try to explain yourself, the other person is adamant that their interpretation of you and your motives is right and that you’re not a very nice person.

Ouch!

Please listen to t...

Maybe you've had someone go off for no apparent reason on you, too?

The other day I was driving on the interstate. A motorcyclist went by, going about 90 miles an hour. About 10 minutes later, the motorcyclist was in the lane in front of me, stuck in stand-still traffic.

It was a hot, sunny southe...

Are you feeling a little bit stuck in your life? Like you’re OK with where you are but you thought you’d be farther along by now?

Where do you want to be? What do you want to have?

When we were in school, our paths were mapped out for us – progression through classes and grades to earn graduation,...

Did someone hurt you, disrespect you or otherwise do you wrong? That’s on them.

Do you carry a grudge, tell the story of their bad behavior, or relive that story inside your head over and over?

That’s on you.

As long as you interact with other human beings, someone or something is bound to bruise...

What are you working for?
What are you dreaming of?
Are you working for a better tomorrow, and dreaming of someday?

That’s very human – as a matter of fact, brain imaging shows that inside most peoples’ heads, there’s a lot of activity when they’re thinking about their goals, hopes and dreams. The ...

Is there someone in your life that you’re trying to make happy? I don’t mean someone you do nice things for because it makes you feel good, I mean someone who is in some sort of relationship with you, doesn’t seem entirely satisfied with that relationship, and you find yourself making decisions base...

Do you have to deal with someone who’s difficult? Maybe angry, defensive, egotistical, greedy – whatever they are, they just suck the life out of you?

Instead of dreading your interactions with them, try this – feel compassion for them.

Can you imagine going through life knowing that people don’t ...

Do you sometimes feel like, no matter what you do, that you’re not making a very big difference in the world? Trust me, you’re wrong about that – here’s what’s really going on.

Our strengths and talents feel very natural and organic to us, so we take them for granted. It’s easy for me to distill br...

Self-confidence is something a lot of people struggle with – you, too, sometimes?

We are usually much harder on ourselves than on the people in our lives. That’s a habit developed in childhood and it doesn’t serve us well at all – listening to all that negative self-talk in your head guts your self...

Do you ever look at other veterinarians and think they’re so much more together than you are?

I love my veterinarian a lot and hope she doesn’t do that, and hope you don’t either.

You never know what’s going on inside another person’s head, heart and life, though humans like to think you know. You...

Did you know that a goal is just an excuse to grow and learn?

Mom’s goal for me is to compete in rally obedience by the end of this year. I like that goal because there’s cheese involved and I get to play games with her.

What’s really happening when you’re reaching for a goal is that you’re stretc...

Got a client coming in today that you dread seeing?

Maybe they’re difficult, or maybe they’re a close-talker, or maybe they just don’t know when it’s time to stop playing, like my Poodle brother. Give that boy some Ace, already!

Anyway, when you know you have to spend time with someone you don’t l...

How do you respond when someone criticizes you or wants to argue?

Sometimes that squirrel sits up on the fence and chews me out – man, that frosts my fur!!

It’s really easy to get defensive or to argue – instead, memorize these words and use them as needed – “thank you for your input – I’ll consid...

Are you feeling tense and stressed with too many thoughts flying around in your head? Do you have five minutes, a private space and a towel or yoga mat?

A super-fast way to calm the chaos in your mind while relieving the stress in your back is to take a yoga break and rest in child’s pose.

Spread ...

Have you ever heard of box breathing? It’s a controlled way of breathing with specific patterns, and there are a bunch of different patterns.

A study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology suggests that two minutes of 5-2-7 breathing a day will help you make better decisions.

B...

Do you try to live up to other peoples’ ideas of who you should be?

Sometimes Mom accidentally calls me Bonnie – that was the last red-head-Siberian she had. Oops!

If there’s someone in your life who expects you to behave, believe and achieve they way they want you to that’s probably causing you a...

How do you feel when something goes wrong?

I ran into the coffee table and knocked two books and a big candle off. Oops…my bad, Mom!

When you do something like that, do you kick yourself for failing or give yourself the grace of knowing that you did the best you could do with the information you h...

Have you ever heard that saying, “go big or go home?” Humans say it about sporting events a lot, and it’s good advice in your life, too.

Many girl humans are raised to be delicate and feminine and ladylike – bah!

Be those when and if you want to be, and be other things too. Have a big, audacious g...

Nope...not a post about exotic animal practice! :D

Do you ever feel like a chameleon – you know, like you have to change yourself to fit in with those around you?

When I go to the dog show, most of the other Siberians are grey and white and some of them raise an eyebrow at my red coat. Who cares –...

Are you feeling frumpy today?

My Poodle brother likes to chew on my ears and sheesh – the hair behind them just won’t lay down right when he does that!

Maybe you’re having a bad hair day, too? Or maybe you feel like you’ve added a few pounds or like the scrub color you’re wearing washes you out.

What do you deserve?

Really think about the things you want in life and then ask yourself, “do I deserve this?”

Now and then Mom brings home a new toy – wow! I might have a moment of “what did I do to deserve this?” and then I start playing with that toy like there’s no tomorrow.

You might feel l...

Do you trust yourself?

Seriously, do you know deep in your solar plexus that in an emergency you can handle whatever needs handling?

Think about it – in your life so far, you’ve handled everything that life’s thrown at you. Sure, some of those things weren’t fun while they were happening – look ba...

Are you looking to others for validation, love and respect? When you get it, it feels great, doesn’t it?

How about when you say something and expect a positive response, but are met with a flat or negative reply? Not so good, right? And then how do you feel? Less than? Hurt? Angry? Defensive? Maybe...

Choices, choices, choices – do you have a tough time making choices?

Will I play with the stuffed squeaky ball all by myself or will I play tug of war with my Poodle brother and the flat fox? Hard choice sometimes!!

Do you put off making a choice hoping the “right” choice becomes obvious? Not maki...

You have a tough job some days. Rude clients, no-show staffers and patients who are afraid of you and who sometimes, no matter what you do, have the nerve to go and die on you.

And then sometimes you have to help them die, and that’s hard even when you know what a gift you’re bestowing on their poo...

Do you eat enough food each day? I don’t think there’s any such thing as “enough food” but Mom disagrees!

Your brain needs over 300 calories a day just to run your body – more if you want it to do things like make decisions, sing and dance or spay that cat that was dropped off this morning.

If you...

Do you sometimes say something you wish you hadn’t said? Words are like arrows – once they’re out, they’re gone and you can’t take them back.

I growled at my Poodle brother the other day and he was sooooooo sad! I thought he’d sulk all day.

Whether you do it as soon as the words are out or do it l...