July 2019 – Heal ThySELF DVM

Speak Lovingly to Yourself, You are Listening

Have you ever watched a human baby learn to walk? How many times do they fall down, laugh and try again? How about as they learn to eat? They miss their mouth more often than not, but they relish in the mess they create! What fun they have!!

They exude confidence, joy and resilience. They are not telling themselves how cruel the world is, or how stupid they are or how much of a failure they are.

Those sorts of statements are internalized by us as we grow as self protective mechanisms, but do they really protect us? Or do they keep us from experiencing all the greatness that we can be and all the happiness we can experience?

Today’s message is short and sweet:
Speak lovingly to yourself, You are listening!

You will see yourself and the world the way you talk to yourself. Our internal dialogue is a powerful tool in shaping who we are and how we present ourselves.

For today, check in on your internal monologue. Just notice the kinds of things you say about yourself and your experiences. After checking in, be playful or child-like in creating new tracks to play, instead of the old ones. Interrupt the old track whenever you hear it and press play on the new track.

We are our own harshest critics, let’s be nice to ourselves today. Speak lovingly of yourself and notice the changes it creates!

High Quality Questions for the Win

Last week we talked about how to see life’s events as happening FOR you to grow, not TO you to beat you down.

This week, we can explore how asking yourself high quality questions can support that new outlook on life.

Many of us have learned to ask ourselves questions like:
Why is this happening to me?
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Why do I always have to deal with angry clients?

Those questions are low quality questions, because there is NO answer that you can find that will lead you to feel better and be empowered. The typical answers to those questions usually involve statements about your stupidity, failure or incompetence.

But, if you can ask yourself a question that leads to curiosity, possibility and an improved self worth… Well, then the world opens up to you!

Some examples of high quality questions are:
– What can I learn from this situation that allows me to be a stronger person
– What boundaries do I want to set so that the client’s bad attitude does not affect me?
– How can this situation, as stressful as it may be, allow me to know I am valued?

So, in order to see life as happening FOR you, not TO you, use high quality questions to activate the curiosity of your mind, to find answers that lift you up and empower you to success!

Life Happens For You NOT To You!

I have heard this statement A LOT recently, and so I thought I’d share it with you, as I believe it is a powerful way to reframe our experiences.

When I googled ‘life happens for you, not to you’ to see who to attribute it to; names like Brene Brown, Tyler Perry, Jim Carrey and Tony Robbins appeared – which I consider a strong line up of successful people who are working to do ‘good’ in this world. So hey, why not think more like them…right?

The underlying theme to this statement, for me, is that I CANNOT control what happens to me, but I CAN control how I react to it.

The challenges that life throws at me – the angry clients; the 4th euthanasia of the day; the staff member who walks out in the middle of their shift – all of these challenges are there to help me grow and become a more emotionally enlightened person. One who is able to consciously move through life, instead of being blown about in the wind.

I want to respond to life, not react to life! How about you? I feel so powerful when I can consciously choose how I want to respond to events in my day. The alternative is letting my emotions react in ways that cause me to feel helpless, sad or angry.

If I can be curious and ask what does this situation do FOR me instead of TO me, I can see the blessings in the trial. How can I move through this event and be more powerful, more insightful, more loving?

How can I see the 4th euthanasia of the day as a gift – a way that life happens FOR me?:
Perhaps it is showing me the teamwork in the office.
-or-
The abundance of love in the world.
-or-
The strength of my ability to hold space for clients to grieve in their own way.
-or-
The honor of helping a patient cross over.

Perhaps it also highlights areas that I could reframe my thinking when I feel like life is happening TO me?
Like if I’m overwhelmed at the thought of losing my heart animal some day.
-or-
If I’m thinking, ‘Why is this always happening on my shift!”
-or-
If I feel pressured to make everything go perfectly.

We don’t need to brush aside all of the deep emotions we feel in a day. They are important reminders of how vast our emotional range is, and they can be used as beacons to point us in the direction of new beliefs that allow us to feel better.

So, my colleagues – it is ALWAYS our choice. We can see challenges as happening FOR us and continue to find peace and happiness in this profession, or we can see challenges as happening TO us, and struggle.

I encourage you to ask the question “Why could this be happening FOR my best interest?” the next time you face a challenge. That question, even if you only think about it for a moment, is the beginning of feeling powerful and in charge of your life. Dedication to asking that question daily will strengthen your ability to be a conscious creator of your life, and reap all the rewards available to you. I’d love to hear how you implement this idea in your own work life.

If you have questions about how to make this shift in your perspective from life happening TO you to life happening FOR you, please make an appointment by clicking here and select a time we can talk!