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...

Are you running on empty? Not enough sleep, that is – that’s not a problem I have. Mom says I’m her professional napper!

Decades of research can’t be wrong – people who are sleep deprived make poor decisions, and you don’t want to do that, right?

Create a going-to-bed ritual. Mom stops touching he...

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 eno...

Start your day with a body/mind/soul morning ritual.

You already have a morning ritual, so this will just be tweaking it a little bit to ensure a great start to the day.

Think about the pattern you already have established – maybe it’s get up, let the dog out, start the coffee pot, let the dog in,...

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...

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 t...

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...

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 r...

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 h...

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 tea...

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 throug...

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 y...

Do you worry a lot?

Sometimes I worry about the squirrels that jump on the porch roof – I worry that they’ll get away again!!

Seriously, if you worry a lot, what you’re really doing is using your incredible imagination to create something you don’t want.

And remember when I told you that your bra...

What are you expecting? And if you answered “a baby” congratulations, and that’s not really what I meant.

When you walk through the hospital doors in the morning, what are you expecting?

If you feel excited because you know it’ll be a day of interesting challenges faced with a great team, then you...

Do you drink out of your water bowl enough? OK, so it’s me drinking out of a water bowl – water is good for me, good for your patients and good for you, too.

Most humans don’t drink enough water, and can feel cranky, headachy or just mentally exhausted. You could keep a water bowl on your desk – ma...

Do you wish you had more courage?

I’m pretty courageous now but I remember when I was just a little puppy how big, sudden sounds scared me. I got more courage and you can too.

The more days you live, the more different experiences you have, the more courage you’ll develop. Part of courage is the w...

Is your hospital having a stressful day?

I do now and then, especially when I find something fun to chew on and mom loses her mind!

Sometimes it feels like everyone is a gas can and you’re all waiting for someone to toss a match, right? That’s a terrible way to feel and a worse way to try to care ...

When something is hard, do you give up or do you let go?

Those may sound like the same things but there’s a vast difference. When you give up you usually feel defeated and deflated – you’ve given it your best and you’ve been bested. That’s not a powerful or successful way to feel.

Instead, try let...

Do you do the same exercise routine over and over and over?

Mom got me a treadmill…boooooooring! There aren’t any squirrels to chase…that would make it fun!

Anyway, if you do the same workout every time your body will get used to it and it won’t be as effective. The good news is that you can proba...

Do you ever beat yourself up for taking shortcuts?

Maybe you didn’t feel like cooking and picked up a rotisserie chicken and a couple of ready-to-eat side dishes? Mmmmmmm…chiiiicken…can I come over for dinner?

Seriously, you work hard, so if that little voice in your head is saying you’re a bad mo...

When was the last time you had a pedicure?

To be honest, I don’t get why humans love those things so much…I hate it when Mom grinds my nails and cuts the hair between my toes…ugh!!

For most humans pedicures are seen as luxuries – you don’t treat yourself to one very often because it might feel sel...

Do you keep a journal?

I did once – Mom chased me all around the house trying to get it out of my mouth. She likes to write in it each morning and I just wanted to see what was so special about it…sheesh!

If you ever sit down to write about what you’re grateful for and nothing pops up, it’s not be...

Do you ever feel like a situation is hopeless? That’s a bad way to feel, isn’t it?

Kinda like when my favorite squeaky ball rolls under the couch – it feels like nothing I can do will get it back out. Like magic, though, it always reappears somewhere I can get it and squeak it and throw it in the a...

Is there a song with lyrics that inspire you?

Mom named me after the Kacey Musgraves song, Follow Your Arrow. It’s a song that talks about how other people will judge you, no matter what you do, so you might as well do what makes you happy.

Was there ever a time in your life where you realized tha...

Do you get irritated at other drivers when you’re driving?

I look out the window and sometimes see the driver in the car beside us yelling and pounding on his steering wheel. Scary – glad mom doesn’t do that!!

Humans take things so personally sometimes – if you get mad at other drivers, you might ...

What does success look like to you?

To me it would be a total takedown of my new big brother the Standard Poodle…he’s so tall I haven’t figured out how to wrestle him to the ground yet!

Think about it…what does success look like to you?

You can let your mind play with that idea or if you know exa...

Do you have a habit you want to break? It’s ok…sometimes I forget and play too rough in the house. I’ve gotta remember to stop doing that before I break something!

Everyone has bad habits and when you understand neuroplasticity concepts you’ll understand two things about them – why they’re hard to ...

Do you pay attention to intentions? Mom calls me Butterfly Brain so I guess that means I don’t pay attention to much at all sometimes.

Paying attention to intentions is easy though – in the evening, as you’re finishing up dinner dishes or whatever, think about the next day. Make one intention that’...

Is your motivation lagging a little bit today?

A great way to get your mojo back is to think back to times when you’ve nailed it – whatever IT is that’s demotivating you. Remember when you first learned IT, when you finally mastered IT and when you helped teach IT to someone else.

You’re aces at I...

Did you know that your brain can’t tell the difference between what you’re thinking and what you’re living? Brains don’t know reality, and for proof of that, let’s talk about a famous canine – Pavlov’s dog.

That guy Pavlov teased his dog a lot, using people in lab coats, metronomes and bells to tri...