Roller Coasters – Heal ThySELF DVM http://www.healthyselfdvm.com Re-Igniting Your Love of Veterinary Medicine Wed, 20 Dec 2017 17:36:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.21 How Can Roller Coasters Mirror Life? http://www.healthyselfdvm.com/how-can-roller-coasters-mirror-life/ Wed, 20 Dec 2017 17:36:42 +0000 http://www.healthyselfdvm.com/?p=1285 Continue reading "How Can Roller Coasters Mirror Life?"]]> I love riding roller coasters.  I feel so alive on them and that feeling continues throughout the day.  The thrill and anticipation of the uphills, the drama and unknown of the falls, the twists and turns that are unexpected.  Kinda sounds a bit like life, eh?

My life coach, Jana Kellam, reminded me of this idea the other day and I wanted to share it with you.  We all experience times when it seems that fantastic highs are followed by crushing lows.  We get depressed and exhausted dealing with this roller coaster of life.  

But what if we could embrace the lows as much as we do the highs?  What if we saw the lows as a chance to get clear on what we are wanting more of in life (the highs) and sought out ways to get them.  What if the lows signal a chance to explore new ways of thinking or acting to allow ourselves to return to a more neutral state?  What if the lows are the only way we can appreciate the highs?

What if Roller Coasters never went down?

We have all heard that all we as veterinarians do all day is snuggle puppies and kittens?  We generally respond “wouldn’t that be nice?”  But would it?  Wouldn’t doing that all day every day get boring?  I submit to you that the only way to recognize and appreciate the happy things in life is to experience some less than happy things.  It is the contrast in life that is exhilarating and allows for our growth.

If we embrace the lows as a way to grow and learn about ourselves we can level them out a bit or stay in them for less time, but experiencing them is always going to happen.

So experience life like the roller coaster it is and allow yourself to look for the hidden gems in the lows as well as milk the highs for every last drop of deliciousness!

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