Center for Workplace Happiness

Do you feel powerless sometimes? I do, especially now that Mom got a more secure crate for me. Escape just one time and it’s Fort Knox!! If you’re feeling powerless, think about the words you use. When something goes wrong, do you make excuses or do you own your part of the mishap and move on? Every time you make excuses you give away a little bit of your power. Listen to your words and start owning your actions so you can own your power.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Sometimes questions are no fun, right? Like when Mom says "Who Did That???" Somehow, it’s always my fault. There’s a good question you could ask yourself when it feels like something has gone wrong – "how would it feel if I knew it would all work out?" When you think about the possibilities it keeps you from jumping to conclusions and maybe reacting to something that didn’t happen. Now, if Mom would just ask herself that when she sees a mess I made…

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Did you know that the way you breathe might be making you anxious? When I pant it cools me down – when humans pant, their brain thinks something is wrong. When humans are stressed they take shallow, fast breaths and that tells the primitive part of their brain that it’s time to fire up the fight or flight engine. The brain fires up the chemical factory, flooding the body with stress hormones, causing more fear and anxiety. Pay attention to how you breathe and when you find yourself just breathing into the top of your lungs, take two minutes to breathe long, slow, deep breaths that poke your belly way out. It’ll put the primitive part of your brain out of your misery.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Did you know that it’s OK to be sad or mad or frustrated or even to cry? I’ve noticed that some humans think they have to be calm and happy and positive all the time. Those are good ways to feel and the other ways are normal, too. It’s OK to feel sad or mad or frustrated or to cry – it’s part of being human. And it’s OK to feel how you feel and then decide you want to feel better. You’re in charge – feel how you feel then find a way to feel how you want to feel. Mom helps people learn how to feel better all the time.

I'm Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Are you feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place? I got stuck behind the couch once so I can relate – scary!! If that’s how you’re feeling today, you could just whine and howl like I did, or you could do something I can’t – let your brain go time-traveling. Look at your options and pick one, then imagine what the future looks like after making the choice. Then pick the other one and imagine life in the future. This is magical – don’t worry about how something could happen, just pretend it does and imagine how you’ll feel when it does. Bet the rock and hard place aren’t so scary now, are they?

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Everybody has that one friend – you know, the one who tells you about their life, even the embarrassing parts? They’re so open with you because they trust you – a lot! You know what? When you have something embarrassing or confusing or sad going on in your life, you can probably trust them, too. We all need to lean on someone else now and then – when you do, remember this friend and reach out. They’ll feel good that you trust them enough to share and they’ll help you figure things out.

Quick – what does it take to make you happy? Are you one of those humans who thinks that once you’ve achieved a certain goal you can finally be happy? I may be just a dog but I know things. Research studies done at universities like Harvard, Cambridge and UC Berkeley have come up with the same conclusion. Happiness doesn’t come from making a certain amount of money or finding the perfect life partner or having a child or the home of your dreams – if you want those things you have to be happy first. News flash – you are the only person in charge of your happiness and you can learn to be happier. Mom teaches people all the time!! And once you’re happier, there’s only one answer to that question – what makes you happy. You do!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Does it feel like stuff gets on you that you don’t want? I’m not talking about real stuff like dog hair or cat vomit or anything, I’m talking about life stuff – like when the groomer and the receptionist get into a screaming match and you feel like you have to be the referee? Sometimes I just stand in the middle of the floor and do what you need to do – shake shake shake like Mom’s trying to give me a bath. Be like me – shake it off! Before you step in to solve the problem, ask yourself whether you should solve it or whether you should let them work it out. Give them the ground rules – no yelling, no unkind words, lots of listening before speaking – and let them settle it. When people solve their own problems they own the solution and the solution sticks. Plus, when you shake it off it gets you out of the referee job and back to taking care of your patients.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Are you having one of those days with no-shows, cancellations and empty appointments? Maybe it’s time to play! Most days Mom takes me for a long walk at the park in the morning but on days when the sky is leaking she cancels that. That’s not fun! And then most of the time it turns into a different kind of fun – she hides stinky swabs with cheese right next to them and I get to find them and eat the cheese. We can do that inside where the sky isn’t leaking and Mom says it wears me out just as much. What can you play on an empty appointment day? Sure, you could find work to do – playing is more fun. Play on social media – post cute pictures of your staff and patients, make little videos you can post, gather your staff and have an impromptu lunch together – find a way to take fun advantage of what looks like down time. Fun shifts your focus and helps you have a much better day!

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!

Do you feel a little sad today? It happens to the best of us – me, too sometimes, and when I’m sad I just whine a little bit. And then I remember that it’s more fun to run than to whine and I take off, bunny-butting through the house up the stairs over the back of the couch and Mom opens the back door and let’s me runrunrun in the yard. Pretty soon I’m panting and happy and back inside ready for a nap. If you feel sad, you could runrunrun, too – or maybe dancedancedance or do yoga for a few minutes or take a walk outside. Even just a little bit of exercise helps you go from sad to feeling pretty darn good. And feeling pretty darn good is better than feeling sad any day of the week.

I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!