TODAY IS THE DAY

Being a Veterinary Professional

Posted on January 9, 2022 by kbodtmann

I wrote this to remind myself what I truly do each day and what matters the most to me. Like others, it is easy for me to get caught up in the mundane day-to-day tasks, to get burnt out, and to forget what really matters. I wrote this to show others that Veterinarians care – they care about you and your family and they care about the animals that bring joy to your lives. The job description of a Veterinarian is so much more to me than what you see when you walk into the office.

Job Description of a Veterinarian

To foster the intuitive sense in others that all life is precious and deserves respect, love, and when in need – protection and care
To help the people and animals around me thrive
To alleviate pain and suffering
To impart feelings of warmth and support
To make decisions that support the long term well being of those that I care for
Commitment to incremental improvement in quality of life
To practice any type of medicine that promotes healthspan, not just lifespan
To respect shared time with others by being fully present in each moment
Making an impact by teaching that every creature matters
Knowing that anyone can serve and anyone can love, therefore anyone can be great

It is not….

To see more appointments in less time
To over-communicate a list of tasks and duties required of a “good” pet owner and miss the chance to truly bond with a patient or client
To pass judgment on others for having a different life view on animals or ability/life circumstances to care for their pets
Prioritizing organizational rules over doing the right thing
A license to stop receiving feedback from others
Allowing your profession to become your identity – no one can take away your gift to care for animals and your inherent worth does not depend on your employment status

~ Being a Veterinarian is to always remember that being a steward of animal life is a calling, not a job ~

Take Control of Your Time

Posted on December 6, 2021 by kbodtmann

We all have 24 hours in the day and we all have agency over how we spend that time. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that somehow you are special and busier than anyone else. We all have piles of to-do’s, family and work obligations, cleaning/household admin duties. We can try to be more efficient and assign every minute of the day a task. Although, somehow this seems to rob the joy from life when we micromanage our moments and schedule. So what can we do to help? When you feel stressed that there is not enough time in the day (1) Acknowledge your limitations and face the monster head-on (2) Double down on self-care (3) Speed date your tasks

You do not have time to do everything well so choose what matters most to you. You could be running a self-defeating script in your head about how overwhelmed you are with all of the things you still need to get done. OR you could empower yourself by stating that you DO have time for the things you want in life and you CHOOSE to not do the other things. Put what you value first, then let go of the guilt. It looks like this… Today I am prioritizing my family and I choose to not work from home. It is my life and time with my family comes first, especially around the holidays. I have more than enough time to bake with my kids, call my mom, and then tidy the house so we can enjoy a night of rest together. This is my life and I deserve to enjoy it. Tomorrow I can choose to prioritize work as my career is ultimately fulfilling for me. I will accept a certain amount of drudgery that comes along with my work, or if I can’t, I will work toward building a new career or way to make money for the future. Take back your power. No one can make you do anything that you do not choose to do. Own that.

For full mastery, you need to lean into the hard things. For people in traditional caregiver roles, self-care may be the first thing that gets tabled when life is hectic and quite frankly I agree that it is the hardest thing for us to commit to doing. Self-care is a time multiplier and the ultimate productivity hack. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is hard to put this above other things when you feel like your life is on fire and quite frankly that is why your life is on fire. Meditation increases grey matter in your hippocampus and increases activity in your left prefrontal cortex. This boosts your happiness, memory, learning/recall, attention span. It also helps you fall asleep faster and boosts your quality of sleep. Breathing techniques such as Wym Hoff bolster your immune system and allow you to remain calm in the face of excess cortisol and stress. Alternate nostril breathing or extending your exhalation longer than your inhalation balances your brain and body and activates your parasympathetic system. This effectively takes you out of the 24-7 stress state that we all contend with. Productive meditation ( aka focusing on one problem in your head while walking and not allowing your mind to wander) teaches you how to single task. A rare and valuable skill in today’s world. Yoga integrates movement and emotion, clears your energy channels, and teaches you how to breathe more effectively. Intentionally breathing slowly (5 breaths a minute) puts your body in coherence where all your physiologic functions are functioning optimally. These are non-negotiables in our fast-paced society.

Finally, there are two main ways of looking at your tasks. You can either work on one task at a time to completion (preferred by many) or speed date your tasks (preferred by me). If I spend my whole day organizing my closet, I do feel good that I finished a task but when you have 50 other equally important things to do in a day – this is unfortunately not reality. My preferred method is to group all of my tasks for the day into broad categories and then commit a variable amount of time to each category. For example, I have 20 minutes for household tasks and I see how much I can get done and then I MOVE ON. I then have 40 minutes for wrapping or online Christmas shopping, then I move to the next task. I prefer to make a small amount of progress on each category so I feel that I am not missing anything. It is ok if I have unfinished things each day, we all do. I celebrate the progress I have made on many small things. For someone with a mountain of to-do’s this can ultimately be more effective as you touch something in each category almost every day. It also teaches you to work on the non-urgent, unimportant life goals as these get a category too (instead of prioritizing things like the laundry that get added to your list again and again every day).

Know you have agency over your life. Choose what you think is important for you and do it. It is not your responsibility to make other people happy with you, you only need to be happy with yourself. So instead of whining about all the things you have to do and how you have no time to do it. Know that you are stronger for facing the adversity this life brings and that you get to wake up every day and you get to choose the things you put on your plate. Make today, your day and prioritize what you want for your life and be grateful for the difference you can make.

Stay True to You

Posted on November 22, 2021 by kbodtmann

Your priorities are not mine and mine are not yours. I respect others but would never trade places in a million years. I can only commit to being the best version of myself, in fact, it is my obligation to show up as authentically as I can. So from here, I vow to keep first things first. To stand my ground for what I believe is best for myself and those I love. To support my true friends and lift them up. To be transparent with my concerns and equally so with my hope. To let go of the comparisons, the defeatist attitude, the victim mentality. I embrace the challenges and through and through I stand here and call on you. Stay true to you.

Spice up Your Planning

Posted on November 8, 2021 by kbodtmann

Sometimes productivity and planning can get stale, boring, rote. I often fall victim to planner fatigue. If this is you, consider changing the way you view your time so that it becomes more exciting, totally different, and yours. Let’s take a more traditional system and take a rebel approach. This may just spark some motivation.

Consider the tried and true “quarterly” planning that most people employ. I have seen others take these 3-month chunks of time and rework them. I have heard of others breaking down the year into something that is more natural for them. Some start the new year in September to follow a school-like approach. I recently learned that each “quarter” is actually 13 weeks and not 12 – this new nugget of information blew my mind. How about you take a leap with me and let’s rework the system.

What if … November was the start of the new year and hence is Quarter 1. Each quarter has 1 week to reassess your life and make plans/choose the new goals for the next quarter. 1 week of planning and12 weeks of passionate work toward your goals.

Such a system would look like this:

Halloween is fun and then November comes. Suddenly we are thrust into holiday planning, organizing decorations, seasonal jubilation. Seems like everyone else is slowing down for some turkey. NOT YOU. You have started the holiday sprint and Quarter 1. You capitalize on the natural energy of the season and begin to buckle down. You find enjoyment in the ease that your extra planning and hard work will bring you when the holiday fun finally rolls around. Never again will Christmas Eve be filled with a hum of stress and agitation – you will be zen. November is the time to get those exciting events on the calendar, stay ahead of shopping and gift wrapping, and put extra effort into getting work done AT WORK and not AT HOME so you can really appreciate time with family at end of November and December. January wraps up the quarter and allows you time to get in touch with what you really want for the year ahead. No New Years Resolutions to fizzle out. January, you are recovering and allowed to take some much-needed respite in a cold winter month that is filled with snow, fireplaces, and quiet. This is the end of your quarter. You are just getting warmed up for the year ahead by intentionally slowing down, instead of already depleting your willpower.

Quarter 2 – February/March/April. Sow the seeds. It is still cold and not much to do but plan for spring/summer. This is a great time to really focus on your own passion project. The family is settled. This is time for you to move the needle forward on something you want for your own life.

Quarter 3 – May/June/July. Spring and Summer are all rolled into this one. Start planning family trips and focusing on decluttering for the spring. Front-load projects and tasks in the Spring to have a laid-back Summer. Enjoy time with friends. Barbeques. Late nights on the porch. Fresh air. In July, you will have the time you need for friends. Barbeques. Swimming. This is also the time to assess your personal wellness, workout plan and to be strategic about your health plan for the year. This follows your natural energy to get some more UV and prepare for the lack of clothing that accompanies this Quarter.

Quarter 4 – August/September/October. End of summer and welcome fall. August is a great time for planning back-to-school necessities for children. Halloween costumes. Focusing on family agendas and new schedules. Buying new planners and reassessing systems. Figure out what is working for your flow and eliminate unnecessary tasks. Set Boundaries. Halloween ends the year with the start of your New Year in November. Time to start getting ready for the warmth of the holidays.

What I love most about breaking the year into these unconventional time frames is that each beginning of a quarter is a time where you would be strategically planning for life events that are upcoming at the end of that quarter. It works for me and it might just work for you too at this stage in your life. Be a rebel and make your own untraditional system, or follow mine. New systems bring new energy and a chance for a fresh start. Who doesn’t love that?

Drop the Excuses and Nurture Yourself

Posted on November 1, 2021 by kbodtmann

The very first step on a self-development journey is dropping the story. It is always someone else’s fault that you don’t have time and everyone else’s priorities that get in the way of your dreams. Or is it? Perhaps it is easier to blame others than take responsibility for how you want to feel and who you want to be. There will always be laundry to be put away, dirty dishes, and something else to clean. These things get crossed off only to re-appear on your to-do list days later. Don’t worry they will always be there. Forget those recurrent tasks and prioritize yourself. Tell the people in your life you are taking time for you and then DO IT. Write 10 minutes in your journal, read that book you want to read, do yoga, learn to breathe to support your nervous system, take a walk and appreciate the time alone. The most important thing you can do in your life is to take time for yourself. You are worth it. Model to others that they are worth it too. Slow down, be intentional, care for yourself and take back your time. Design your day to nurture yourself first and only then will you be able to nurture others.

Follow Your Heart

Posted on October 3, 2021 by kbodtmann

Sometimes you need to do what you feel is right, in your heart. Forget your head and all the reasons why you think you can’t or you shouldn’t. There are times where you just need to give in to your intuition; that inner knowing. Feeling what you need to do is more important than knowing what is expected to be done. If you crave silence and to be still, then grant yourself permission to do so. If you can think of a thousand reasons why you shouldn’t go but feel drawn to being somewhere, then you owe it to yourself to go and be all there. If your heart aches for another soul and you feel the calling to help. THEN HELP. Find what feels good. Do the next right thing. Honor what you want. Feel all the feels of life. Most of all, follow your heart and feel good that you stood for what you felt was right and you trusted in yourself to make that decision.

Dopamine: The ultimate brain currency of motivation

Posted on September 27, 2021 by kbodtmann

It turns out that our drive is directly tied to our drips of dopamine, a master neurotransmitter in our brain. Dopamine is not released when we obtain the object of craving or wanting; it is released prior to, to help us go after what we want. If you would like to wake up every day with passion and motivation to go after the things you want in your life, you must be able to master the release of dopamine. Dopamine is what gives you that flash of excitement when you think about achieving something. Like everything else in this world, the release of this neurochemical operates within a cycle. There is always a give and take. You may release escalating amounts of dopamine in pursuit of a goal but this is never sustainable and there will always need to be a reset once that goal is achieved. There will always be a down after the high. There are lots of productive people and high achievers that will tell you about the paradoxical disappointment that occurred after finally reaching the summit. This is the dopamine reset.

Dopamine is essential to motivation. We need to produce enough of it to feel a desire to make any changes in our lives. Any time you feel a craving for food, an itch to check your social media account, or a want or will to go after anything in your life – this is all mediated by releases of dopamine in your brain. It is what activates you to want to accomplish anything. Interestingly, dopamine has also been found to speed up our spontaneous blink rate which has been found to slow down or dilate our perception of time. The more dopamine you produce, the faster you blink, the slower time will seem to you. Dopamine is a precursor of epinephrine (adrenaline). This makes sense when you think about getting in a car accident – time seems to slow down for you during those milliseconds where dopamine/adrenaline is released in buckets. It makes your blink rate very rapid in order to help you to take in information as fast as possible and help adjust your reaction time to save your life. It is also important when you are doing life-saving work – an intentional slowing down of your perception rate will give you more time to work through the details of what needs to be done and respond quickly and effectively. More dopamine may give you an overall advantage in life as well; thinking that you have more time in your day to accomplish the things that need to get done.

To have sustainable dopamine release you need to do three things (1) Find a goal that ignites a passion inside of you and develop a relationship with it. Review it daily and tie it to something very important in your life. If the work is tedious and the goal is not exciting then learn to tie it to a reward that you really desire. Fuel the dopamine fire. (2) Find joy and tie your happiness to the pursuit of the goal and not the goal itself. If you learn to love the feeling of striving and the struggle of working toward something, then you are rewarding yourself for the production of dopamine and learning to love that state. When you tie your happiness to the outcome of your hard work, you are relating to the serotonin /pleasure chemical release and inevitably rewarding yourself for lower dopamine levels ( the reset instead of the production) (3) Expect recovery time. Reward yourself when you achieve a goal but do not excessively celebrate. The higher the high, the lower the low. It is good to acknowledge yourself for a job well done but just remember that this will prolong your recovery time and may even lead to depression after a “win”. You can also practice intentionally denying yourself little cravings. This will trick your body into thinking you need to produce higher levels to get the reward, making you rich in dopamine currency to use when it really matters and strengthening the system.

How to Realize Your Innate Potential; Moment by Moment

Posted on August 30, 2021 by kbodtmann

“Be not afraid of going slowly; Be only afraid of standing still” – Ancient Chinese Proverb

Stop procrastinating on your dreams of who you want to be and where you want to go. The key is being the person you want to be tomorrow by starting small positive habits TODAY. It may take you 10 years to build your small business in a way you find sustainable – that allows you to honor time with your family and personal boundaries – and that is ok. Today you took one small step toward that goal and that is amazing. Every day one small step compounds on the next and in 10 years you are where everyone else wants to be. One pushup, one smile, one less rushed moment replaced by one mindful minute. You do not need to transform overnight but you do need to take the next step, however small, to get there. Everything you need is already inside of you. Your potential lies in the one moment where you decide to do vs not to do. It is simple but not easy. It doesn’t matter if that is getting out of bed a minute early, turning off the tv before the next episode, taking a deep breath instead of ruminating, or opening your computer to write one sentence of your passion project. You can choose to be whomever you want and your power lies in every moment.

Virgo Season is Upon Us: Time to Get Organized

Posted on August 23, 2021August 23, 2021 by kbodtmann

Can you feel the buzz in the air? Maybe it’s the rhythmic hum of the cicadas, or back-to-school energy cultivating, but the seed has been planted. Fall is coming and Virgo season is upon us. If you have ever known a Virgo, they love all things organization and this season is all about lists, starting fresh, saying goodbye to summer, and welcoming the subtle tones and earthy smells of autumn. And yes pumpkins 🙂 Honor those Virgo’s in your life and honor yourself by making a commitment. September will be the beginning of a new you – an organized, industrious, motivated you.

New planners, new ideas, new routines.

Virgo’s love to make lists and write things down. September is a time to capitalize on the innate energy of the season and start planning. My suggestion is to get a new system going and get excited about it. Buy a new planner, review a motivational quote a day, set up a new routine. Be organized about whatever you decide and write it down. Get all your to-do’s out of your head and find a way to make it fun to complete them. Perhaps you can rank them by energy level so that when you are feeling unmotivated you can still cross off a few low-energy tasks on your list. Stretch a bit and write down all your roles in life – teacher, mother, sister, friend and brainstorm ways to improve yourself and honor each role. Make it fun, buy a new journal or beautiful colored pens and write it out. Seeing your obligations, to-dos and all your life tasks on paper changes your perception of things and frees up space in your brain for more creative pursuits.

Honor the Earth inside of you and get grounded.

Virgo is an earth sign (like Taurus and Capricorn) and yes although detail-oriented and a bit critical they are also the sign you can rely on the most. What they say they will do, they will do and whatever they set out to accomplish will be done. They also see the best in people and are uncompromising in their belief in that person’s potential. This month is the time to take this support in and believe in yourself. Get grounded in who you are and make choices in each moment that honor how you feel and what you want. Connect to nature, take restorative deep breaths, find awe in the changing seasons and beautiful fall foliage. This is the season to start a new self-care practice. Talk a walk every morning, bake one new healthy treat every weekend, try 10 minutes of yoga. Remove the words ” I don’t have time” and “busy” from your vocabulary and just do something for yourself and don’t feel guilty about it. Connect to the beauty of this earth because life is short and you are worth it. Everything else can wait.

Support your new goals

If you feel you are destined for something more and that there is a better, more simple way to enjoy life – you are right. Virgos may not be able to see the big picture, getting lost in all the baby steps and the nuances of a project but we are always ready for a challenge and fastidious in our completion. There is one thing I know for sure – No one can deliver a message, practice their craft, and nurture the relationships around them LIKE YOU CAN. What project, idea, wish, daydream has been simmering in the back of your mind and heart. Bring it forth and realize your potential. The world needs to hear it from YOU even if they have heard it a million times before. Why are you waiting and hesitating? Start that new idea, project, life trajectory today. Use Virgo season to take your big picture idea and break it down into manageable steps. Today all you have to do is the next right thing. Outline the next 3 steps, big or small that you need to take to get moving in your new life direction and just start. This is what Virgo season is all about – keep breaking things down into manageable details and day by day, through microsteps of completion, your dreams will be realized.

Turn your Pain Points into Promise Points

Posted on August 15, 2021 by kbodtmann

Is there something in this world that makes you feel defeated or burns a fire inside of you? Inevitably in life, you will come across a situation that makes you angry or uncomfortable. What do you do about it? The way you respond is what separates the successful people from the other 99% that will ruminate, complain, or allow themselves to wallow in their discomfort. Take action – turn your pain points into promise points.

If someones dismisses you and makes you feel small. Don’t let them control the way you feel. Feel the pain and make a promise that YOU will never treat anyone in that way and to go further, you will make sure to speak up when you see this happening to someone else. If you are having a bad day at work, it is important to identify why and make sure that day is one you learn from. Make a promise to craft your schedule or change your attitude to ensure it never happens again. Turn a pain point into a promise point. If you are down on yourself because you just can’t stand the way you feel in your own body or you said no yet again to an event because of your weight, appearance, or general health. Feel the pain of missing out on life and make a promise to yourself to change. If you are feeling the pressure of working too hard and never seeing your family. Or perhaps not working hard enough and letting down the people who rely on you. Don’t let the weight of this crush you – turn your pain into the impetus to change your situation and create a new life that nurtures balance. Let your pain be constructive and fuel a promise of change for better days.

Personally, my pain point at work is feeling I do not have enough time to give the best of myself to my patients and clients. It is no one’s fault – an unintended consequence of a small pool of veterinarians and an increase in pet adoption and an increasing awareness of the importance of care for these members of our family. Feeling the pain of the situation validates that I still care. I care about every client and every patient that needs my help. I feel the pain of this difficult situation and know I can’t inherently change the reality of it – there are just not enough veterinarians to see all of the pets that need care right now. Does that mean I give up? No, it means I make a promise point that holds true to my own values – to slow down, to recognize when someone really needs me, and listen. To take the time I need to build relationships and trust so I can give the best care I am capable of. Some people may need to wait longer and some may get angry that they can not be fit in for non-emergent reasons. I will accept this because I’ve made that promise to the client and patient in front of me to be fully present in that moment. I know this is what I need to do to remain fulfilled as a veterinarian. The days I could not hold true to this were my pain points.

Do you have a pain point? Write down what circumstance made or makes you feel bad and why. This is your pain point and it can be absolutely anything big or small. Now, write down your promise point and more specifically write about the person you need to be to accomplish your promise to yourself or to others. I suggest doing this every time something makes you feel sad, angry, depressed, or defeated. These moments are where your growth occurs. Turning pain points into promise points, gradually transforms bad days into good days, and slowly gives you a slight edge in life toward happiness, success, goal accomplishment, and developing your personal integrity. Today is the day – what gives you pain and what new promises are out there waiting to be harnessed toward building your better future?