Center for Workplace Happiness

Are you constantly telling yourself you can’t do something or you’re not something you think you need to be, like smarter or sweeter or something-er?

Sometimes I tell myself I’m not good enough to be a Champion and that doesn’t feel good.

Maybe try what works for me – when I think I’m not good enough, I remind myself that I’m still maturing and am not finished growing up, so instead of “I must not be a good Siberian because I’m not a Champion” I say “I’m not a Champion yet.”

Adding that one word reminds me – and can remind you – that we’re all a work in progress and we have the time and talent to become whatever we want to be.

"Yet" – three little letters that make a powerful difference in how you view yourself!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Do you “what if” yourself?

The weird thing about “what if” is that it doesn’t do anything except make you confused and regretful.

When you “what if” over something you’ve already decided and acted upon, you’re re-living the past inside your head. You have no power in the past – there’s nothing you can do now that will change the outcome of what’s already happened.

Instead of asking yourself “what if” try asking yourself “what now?” Start where you are to move forward and trust that you made the best decision you could make with the information you had. Then do it again and again and again. That’s living your life in the now, where all your power is.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Do you have a game on your phone that you like to play? Mom has Wordscapes on her phone and she won’t let me help her play…dang it!

There’s a connection to playing games where you have to move your finger and make quick decisions as you play and making better decisions in real life.

Give yourself permission to play now and then – actually, give yourself permission to play a game on your phone for about 10 minutes a day. Sharpen those decision-making skills while you have fun!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Did someone pop your balloon today?

My Poodle brother stole my favorite stuffed birdie and wouldn’t give it back – and he’s bigger than me! That made me mad and sad and sulky.

You, too? Did your day start off well and then someone did something so bad that you just can’t find your fun self?

Try this – is there anything you can do, right this minute, to make that person take back what they did? Can you fix what they did? Can you erase what they did?

No to all of that? Then your power is in letting it go.

When your brain starts working it like day-old chewing gum, put up that mental stop sign and think of something else. Sing a song if you have to – just stop thinking about whatever it is that you are powerless to change, fix or erase. And get set to get your good day back on track.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Do you beat yourself up when you make a mistake? I hate it when I mess up heeling and Mom won’t give me the cheese until I get it right – geez!

Anyway, when you make a mistake, are you harder on yourself than you would be on your best friend? What’s up with that?

Give yourself the same grace you’d give your best friend – if you wouldn’t chew her up one side and down the other, why do you do that to yourself? No one expects you to be perfect – you’re human and part of your job is to make mistakes and learn from them.

So if you made a mistake today, congratulations – you’re human, you probably learned from it and now let it go. Next time you’ll get the cheese, I promise!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

When someone snaps at you, how do you react? If you snap back, seethe or sulk, that’s a sign you’re taking that snap personally. It probably wasn’t personal – it probably was that person having a bad moment or a bad day and taking it out on you.

Try not to take it personally – instead of reacting right away, take a moment to think it through. Was the statement about you or just at you? If it was at you, let it bounce off. If it was about you, say something like “wow, what you just said stung a bit” and see if an apology happens. It might or might not but at least you’ve given the other person information about how their bad behavior felt to you.

Maybe they won’t snap again, just remember…like some dogs, some people are slow learners!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Is there someone on your team you wish was different?

I wish Mom would just leave my food bowl down all day long but no matter how many hints I drop it only comes down twice. Guess I can’t change her and guess what? You probably can’t change the person you wish was different, either.

Think about how tough it is to make changes to yourself – how are this year’s New Year’s resolutions doing? If you can’t make yourself behave differently, imagine how tough it’ll be to make someone else change?

If you’re their leader you can help them grow and maybe you can inspire change in them. That only happens if they want to make the change you want them to make, and it takes a lot of diplomacy and tact to get the words just right.

Change how you think about their unwanted behavior – you have total control over that!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Do you value groupthink on your hospital team or are you open to dissenters?

While it’s tempting to wish for a team that’s always on the same page, humans don’t do their best work that way. First, you know how tough it is to get two people to agree on everything – how can you expect your entire team to agree all the time?

Instead, be open to differing ideas and points of view. When your team trusts you enough to disagree with you right to your face, that’s when you know you’ve developed a strong team.

Celebrate differences of opinion – that’s where growth opportunities for everyone come from.

I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!

Is there someone in your life you admire? Someone you feel moves through their life with competence, confidence and compassion? 

How do you feel about that person you admire? Warm fuzzies? A little bit in awe of them? And maybe, sometimes, just a little bit jealous of the ease that they move through life?

Here are two things you need to remember – you don’t know what their life is really like, just what you imagine it to be like. And thing number two is even more important – there are people in your life who look up to and admire you, too.

You are a role model – never forget that you change lives just by living your own.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

You’re a veterinarian because you care about animals, right?

First of all, thank you – I love my veterinarian!!

And second of all, you know what that says about you? You are loving, kind, you care about the feelings of others and you’re a fountain of benevolent humanity.

Did you know that about you? It’s all true, so maybe write it down and keep it on your desk so you can remind yourself a lot.

You are a wonderful, loving human being who makes a difference in this world and you deserve to know that.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!