TrueNorth.DVM

Masks off 🙌

For the first time since I was hired at MVMC we are allowed to be mask less if fully vaccinated. It's amazing to see full faces. Our team has done such a good job masking, that I have no clue what the bottom half of most people's faces look like!

It's one small step towards normalcy. We are still not allowing clients in the building yet, and masking when face to face with clients.

What are your clinics doing?

💲💲Debt sucks. And it stresses me out!

Most people are afraid to talk about money. But because its taboo, most people don't know anything about how to handle personal finances. I am lucky I grew up in a financially literate family that talked about basic personal finance. But many of my friends who did not grow up like this tend to have a relationship with money that buries their head in the sand, or has the attitude of, "I didn't overdraw my account, so I must be ok."

Money, financial security and financial freedom are one of the top stressors amongst Americans, and a leading cause to anxiety, depression, and su***de. So lets at least scrape the surface.

Step 1: Have a budget- take the time to do this exercise, learn where all your money is going is a great place to start. I do this annually and am still surprised by the subscriptions I forgot I had that are just re-occurring. Even canceling them saves you cash!

Step 2: Emergency Fund- as part of your budge include saving to build an emergency fund. It is generally recommended to have 3-6 months of monthly expenses in savings. Just in case. This is what financial security looks like.

Step 3: Insure your s**t. I know we are talking about spending money. But if you don't insure your assets AND your earning potential (cough, cough long term disability), than loss of an asset or ability to do your job can be crippling.

Step 4: Pay down your debt- lots of resources out there for this one! Have a plan and stick to it. Don't just throw extra cash here and there.

Step 5: Make your money work for you- The best feeling in the world, is knowing your are leveraging your assets. If you are at this step, I highly recommend talking with a financial advisor. They are worth their fees. Get one that commits to the fiduciary standard so they are serving your interest not theirs or the firms.

This is a concept I struggle with. I am ambitious, if you haven't found that out yet, you must be new to my account 😄. I have a lot of goals, many of which have to slowly be chipped away at and percolate over time. I find this endlessly frustrating, because I feel ready for the end result today! This friction is what it feels like for me to be a work-in-progress. And I find it endlessly frustrating to have to remind myself to cool my own jets.

A skill I have to work on, is enjoying the ride. Taking time to stop and smell the roses and reflect on all the achievements I have conquered thus far. It is easy to forget, that which we have already achieved once seemed like a huge and daunting task. A goal just as big as any other goal I have today. But in the rear view having achieved it, it often seems "easy." It wasn't. Give yourself a pat on the back and remember, though you are a work-in-progress to your future, you are a master piece from your past.

Get out there and slay your day!

In order to learn successfully – we must be challenged.

But the balance also needs to be just right. The Learning zone model breaks it up into three categories.

1. Comfort zone
2. Learning zone (The sweet spot)
3. Panic zone

If we are never pushed, we never leave our comfort zones. But if we are pushed to hard we panic. Learning can't happen in either place. It is in the learning zone that the magic happens. Where your existing skills and expertise are challenged, honed and improved. It can be intimidating at first. But it doesn't have to be. Be curious, see it as an adventure and take calculated risks.

Learning and growth does not stop when you graduate from veterinary school. Its just beginning.