Three people. One poo.
A lesson in the power of slowing down
I had a really proud career moment at my CPD day last week.
One of the attendees, someone I’ve worked with before, was describing one of those days in practice where everything had gone sideways.
Everyone was running around like headless chickens.
The phones were ringing. Things were running late. Nobody felt on top of anything.
And at one point, three different people went to clean up the dog poo in kennel 4 because nobody realised somebody else was already on it😅
I know we’ve all worked days like that.
The natural response is to speed up, skip lunch, power through.
Try and claw back some control.
And do you know what this vet did?
She called time.
She got everyone to stop.
Just for 5 minutes. Long enough for everyone to get their heads back.
She said it felt terrifying.
Which is totally reasonable; when you’re snowed under, stopping feels irresponsible. It feels like you’re making the situation worse.
But in that short break, they figured out who was doing what. Made a plan. Then started again, much more calmly, more in control.
And what I loved most about the story was that she didn’t even realise that she was describing mindfulness. It didn’t feel like a big deal.
It wasn’t: “Right everyone, let’s use that strategy Lucy taught us” and some carefully thought out intervention.
She just did it.
Because she’s been practising using mindfulness for years now and it’s become part of the way she works.
A few years ago, this person would probably have run faster.
Last week, she stopped.
And that changed the outcome for everyone else in the room.
Honestly, I felt so damn proud hearing that story and so so happy for her and how much she's changed her life, work and that of those around her.
Because I got to see what happens when these skills stop being “mindfulness” and start becoming part of how somebody approaches a difficult day.
At the end of my CPD day last week, one attendee said:
“I can honestly say it was one of the most enjoyable and beneficial CPD experiences I have had.”
Which was lovely to hear.
But the “sh$t in kennel 4” story was the bit that stayed with me.
Because that’s the whole reason I do this. To give you the skills to make this a way of life.
The next CPD day is in September and focuses on stress in veterinary practice.
It’s for you if you want to enjoy work, but it feels harder than it should right now.
Early bird pricing is available until 23rd June.
And if you’d like longer to practise these skills, so you’re more likely to be that person that slows down when you need to, I also run weekend long CPD retreats. A chance to dive deeper into the theory AND have time to experience how it feels.
Any questions let me know.
Lucy x