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 brain research into concepts most people can easily grasp, and it’s easy for you to visit with a patient and feel the things that could be wrong with them even though they can’t speak words to you.

You make a difference for your patients, for their owners, for your team, for your family and friends and everyone you touch in life.

You matter, because no one else can do what you do with the heart and soul you pour into doing it.

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

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-confidence.

Try this to build yourself back up – once a day, focus on something that you did really well that day or the day before and feel the pride of a task well-done.

If you journal, make this part of your journaling routine. If you practice regular affirmations or meditation, make it part of that time. Focus on success and feel your self-confidence soar.

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

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 don’t.

What looks calm, cool and collected on the outside could be full of conflict and consternation on the inside. You can admire someone and want to be like them – just beware of comparing yourself to them, because you’re not walking in their Crocs.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

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 stretching your knowledge and creativity and belief in yourself, and that’s all good!

So go ahead – set a goal. Just remember it’s the journey to the goal that really lights your fire, so enjoy every step along the way.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

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 love spending time with, try this – make up a story about why they are the way they are. Make it a tale of woe, like something bad happened to them in childhood that caused them to be how they are.

Convince yourself that the story is true, because when you do, you’ll feel love and compassion for them instead of irritation or dread.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

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 consider it.”

You have acknowledged that you heard them and have NOT agreed to what they’re saying, just that you’ll consider it.

You might consider it garbage, but hey, you still considered it!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

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 out your mat or towel, sit on your heels, toes together and knees apart about hip-width. If you can’t sit on your heels, place a pillow between your bottom and heels. If you’re pregnant, place a pillow between your thighs to provide abdominal support.

Exhale your arms forward and long as you gently lower your chest to your thighs, place your forehead on the mat and relax into the pose.

Breathe long, slow, deep breaths and allow your shoulders to sink towards the mat as the tension in your neck eases. Stay as long as you need to, until you feel relaxed and in control. Child's pose for the win.

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

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.

Breathe in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 2, exhale for a count of 7. Two minutes of that a day will calm you down in that moment and help you make better decisions for the rest of the day.

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

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 lot of stress, whether you realize it or not. So before you jump through a hoop someone else thinks you should jump through, ask yourself if YOU want to jump through that hoop.

You have your own inner knowing of who you were born to be. You know what feels good to you and what doesn’t. You are you – the one and only you on the planet. You do you, and let that other person see and appreciate you for who you are.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

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 had, and now you have more information?

I know sometimes lives are at stake when something goes wrong in your hospital and that adds extra pressure. When you remember that you did the best you could with the information you had, it’s easier to allow yourself the space to learn and grow.

And that’s what humans are here to do!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!