If asked, what would you say is the most important ingredient to a successful career as a veterinarian? It could be your grade point average, years of experience, average transaction, or it could be how good of a surgeon you are. All of these are true, but I believe the most important characteristic is one’s attitude. A person’s attitude can determine everything from how well we perform duties to how we react and get along with people.
Many of us may think that we have a great attitude, but do we ever listen to what we are actually saying on a day-to-day level? Listen to how you respond to problems and situations and see if you are truly positive or not. Also listen to what you say to other employees and clients and see if you are positive. Record yourself for one day and you would be shocked at all of the negative things that you actually say. Unfortunately, we are all programmed to think negative and all of the subconscious stuff that has been buried over the years will naturally make us very negative. We all have a lot of dark shadows in our past that are waiting to be released; however, until they actually are, they will manifest themselves by us projecting our anxieties and fears onto others, which we do by being negative or not having the best attitude. Whenever I want an answer on how to act, I always try and look at Jesus. Whether or not you are a Christian, we all know about Jesus. His life here on earth was one of complete servant hood. He had all of the power of God, but instead chose to be a servant for us. He did not brag of whom He was or what He could do, he humbled himself even unto death on a cross. How many of us truly are humble? Or do we let our ego run with us since we are educated and have DVM behind our name? Be positive and have a great attitude about everything and then see how your life unfolds. Next time, we will talk about these dark shadows and what we can do in order to release them to improve our attitude.
