3 Simple tricks to get your way in life even when the odds are stacked against you
How would you rank your life on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being ‘needs a crap ton of work’ and 10 being ‘you’re living your ideal life’?
More importantly than what you rate it now, what score would you like to have in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum, and it is my firm belief that anyone can improve their score and get to a 10!
Everybody knows that many veterinary professionals are struggling as it relates to their wellbeing.
Most people think that the struggle is because of external circumstances and conditions.
I disagree because that takes the control away from the individual.
In actuality, the ability to overcome life and career struggle is COMPLETELY in the hands of the individual!
If you’re the type of person who would like to live a life of their own design, then you are about to discover what every successful person knows about success in this article.
Below, you will uncover 3 powerful tricks that will help you create the veterinary career and life you want for yourself!
If that sounds good, and if you believe you deserve to live an awesome life, read on!
Introspection is your friend
There’s an old saying that goes, “Know thyself!”
In order for you to get to a 10/10, it is essential that you understand yourself. You must know what makes you sick and what makes you tick.
If you go through life without introspection, you may end up somewhere you don’t want to be. Even worse you may get to the end of life and have regrets. You may think, “If I had my life to live over again…” and that won’t be a good feeling!
So let me ask you…
How well do you know yourself?
How often do you take deep, introspective dives into the different areas of your life?
These may seem like easy questions to answer, but most people don’t take the time and effort to do this. The process of introspection isn’t a ‘one and done’ deal, it’s a life-long journey.
This is something that can at first seem very daunting, especially if you are already pressed for time, and if you are already feeling the heaviness of the stresses in your life and career.
The most important thing to remember is that doing a self-evaluation process of looking at what things you do want and looking at what things you don’t want is necessary for individuals who want to find fulfillment, inner-peace, and in essence, wellbeing.
Trick #1: Use a Magic Wand, Lamp Genie, or Magic Tree Stump
Pretend that you have a magic wand, lamp genie, or whatever magical manifestation creation thing you like to have.
If you had a magic wand and could say, “Abra Kadabra… Wolly Kazaam… this is the life that I want! Give it to me now!” what would that look and feel like?
This is a question that if you sincerely ask it to yourself, and if you sincerely think upon it, could be the foundation of you actually getting anywhere close to that.
Now here’s where the magic REALLY happens!
Once you create the picture of what you want, pretend that you already have this life and CARRY YOURSELF as if you did! You must live in the feeling of already having it!
This will make all of the actions that you take towards your best life more powerful!
In my book (which you can find for free here), I go over some really important considerations for doing this exercise.
While this may sound like a cheesy trick to create the life you want for yourself, it is absolutely necessary, and in Chapter 3 of my book, I explain why you will likely struggle in life if you don’t do this.
Many people in our profession are feeling stressed and burnt out. Many veterinary professionals are resentful for their choices to be in this field.
However, many of the people who are burnt out haven’t been using the power of introspection, and they don’t know about these 3 tricks!
Knowing what you don’t want is only a part of it, and many people say, “I don’t want to be burnt out!” But what DO you want, and what does that look and feel like?
The penalty for no introspection is that you will be passionate about what you do but not thoroughly enjoying what you do.
In essence, you may endure your veterinary career instead of enjoying it.
In this episode of “Exploratory: The Veterinary Wellbeing Podcast” you will find 7 strategies for mastering the process of idealization, which is a major part of mastering introspection and achieving your best life.
Trick #2: Hack your self-belief
If you don’t believe you can do a thing, then it is highly unlikely that you will do that thing. In this case, we’re talking about getting your way in life and in vet med despite your current situation.
Most people are operating on VERY limited self-belief, which I understand completely!
They’ve been beat up (mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically) by certain parts of life and people.
They’ve made bad decisions in the past, and now they doubt their ability to make good decisions moving forward.
Basically, if life hasn’t worked out perfectly, and if you don’t understand this self-belief hack, then your self-belief is likely less than it could be.
In this video, I explain what you must do if you want to hack your self-belief to insane levels!
Note: f you want 4 RACE-approved credits for discovering how to hack your self-belief and essentially your wellbeing, then you can find an awesome course at Get MotiVETed University: School of Wellbeing for Veterinary Professionals!
Trick #3: Turn into a piece of steel
Ok, I know that sounds weird… because it is weird.
I don’t think anyone can turn into a piece of steel literally. But what you can do is turn your self-discipline into steel!
If you want to get your way in life, you MUST develop self-discipline of steel!
This is SO crucial!
I call self-discipline “The Heartbeat of Success”, because I don’t think anyone succeeds at anything worthwhile without it.
And because I know you want to succeed in getting your way in life and in vet med, it is strongly recommended that you take a DEEP DIVE into the world of self-discipline and how to cultivate it! (It is conveniently covered in Chapter 6 in my book ;-)).
Self-discipline is the ability to do what is required to achieve a result, especially when you don’t feel like it or when times are hard.
Let that sink in, and be sure to go down the self-discipline rabbit hole, whether you do it with my book or with someone else’s book.
Live life on your terms!
Well, there you have it! Those are 3 simple tricks that you can do to take your life to the next level and get your way in life and in vet med more often than not!
You can create the life you want for yourself!
The life you have now → you created it!
The life you’ll have 10 years from now → you will have created it!
You may as well create it consciously, deliberately, and with the best tools and strategies for doing so!
You’ve got this! Go out there and crush it!
You can follow me on Instagram: @Dr.quincyhawley