I gave up
And that was a good thing
I had one of those days recently where nothing felt like it went right.
Everything felt like wading through treacle.
The peak was 4pm. I’d set aside an hour to review a presentation before a 9am meeting the next day and by 4.30pm I still hadn’t found the draft in the SharePoint abyss (if you know, you know).
So I stopped.
I gave up.
A few years ago, I wouldn’t have done that.
I’d have panicked, tried to recreate the whole thing from memory, worked into the evening, gone to bed late and woken up still wading through treacle.
That’s what perfectionists do.
They keep going when it would actually make more sense to stop.
This time, there was a quieter voice:
“Lucy, your co-presenter will know where the file is. Chill. Ask them.”
And because I wasn’t busy telling myself I was a terrible person for not being perfectly prepared, I could listen.
Next morning? Logged on early. Found the presentation in under a minute. Made the changes. Shorter meeting. Unexpected free time.
All because I “gave up”.
I know it’s not always that simple in veterinary practice
You can’t just stop, drop and go home when your brain feels like treacle.
But you can ease off the pressure more often.
The times I stayed late because I “had to report these bloods today” or pushed through lunch to “just quickly check something”, when I’d have done better stepping away and coming back with a clearer head.
Perfectionism isn’t the asset we think it is.
It pushes us to keep going when we’d actually perform better if we paused (and yes, studies back that up).
Today’s reminder: Take the break. Give up (temporarily). Come back stronger.
And if your brain is saying “that’s not realistic in practice” come and learn how to make it realistic.
Next CPD day:
🐾 The Pressure to be Perfect – Tues 9th June*, Clevedon (junction 20 m5)
To quote an attendee this week
“I didn’t realise how possible it is to fit mini-breaks and meditations into a busy working day in veterinary practice”.
Whether you join us or not, I hope it’s given you something to think about. Because it turns out “giving up” isn’t always the worst idea after all 😉
Lucy x
*PS: dates also available later in the year, just check out my website