Short-lived Success in Veterinary Medicine

Imagine finishing a challenging day of surgery, staying late to check post-op, only to wake the next day anxious about the day’s caseload instead of savouring the previous day’s wins. Many veterinarians and techs know this feeling; you solve a complex case or reach a professional milestone, expecting satisfaction, but it vanishes almost immediately. Satisfaction is short-lived. We believe that achieving a goal brings lasting fulfillment, but even after a significant win, satisfaction returns to baseline, and we find ourselves chasing the next goal. In our high-pressure world with long days, it’s easy to see how this cycle can become exhausting.

It is an endless relay race. You measure yourself by the cases you succeed with or the clientele you please. You may adapt your image to impress colleagues or hide insecurities because, in your eyes, you are worthy as long as you are successful. Every success must be topped by another. After a win, your mind calms down and asks, "What's next?" – leaving the victory feeling oddly hollow. Self-acceptance is conditional on the next success. In other words, a win might feel great for a moment, but that joy is in the rear-view mirror as soon as we look ahead.

                                        Meet Your Saboteur: The Hyper-Achiever

Positive Intelligence® teaches that we all have mental Saboteurs, ingrained voices that trigger stress and self-doubt. The Hyper-Achiever Saboteur – among many others - is very common in our veterinary world, and it is the one that ties your worth to your results. It says, "I'm only my best if I'm winning." As Positive Intelligence® explains, the Hyper-Achiever "is dependent on constant performance and achievement for self-respect and self-validation.” In practice, that means enjoying the accolades but not tolerating anything less than an A+.

The Toll of the Chase: Burnout and Emptiness

You are running a busy ER - non-stop, skipping lunches and breaks. Initially, it feels like the right thing to do, but soon, you'll be too depleted to do your best work. Without rest and recovery or saying "no" sometimes, the Hyper-Achiever keeps telling us “more, more, more,” and our mental health pays the price. This pattern isn’t harmless. Constantly pushing for more and working long hours can lead to chronic stress and burnout. Burnout results in exhaustion, negativity, cynicism, and declining job performance, which can have severe consequences. Over time, the wear and tear show up as fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, and even anxiety or depression. A significant cause of burnout is simply a lack of holding boundaries with ourselves. We push past our limits, feeling we must always be the helper and never the one needing help. Sound familiar?

           Five Ways to Reframe Achievement

How can we break this cycle? Here are five practical, reflective strategies – grounded in Positive Intelligence® – to calm the Saboteur and find lasting meaning in our work:

1. Name and Catch Your Saboteur. Start by noticing the negative voice. When you feel uneasy about slowing down or think, “I have to do this to feel good,” label it: “Ah, there’s my Hyper-Achiever talking.” This simple awareness gives you distance. Realize that this Saboteur is trying to protect you (from feeling unworthy), but it’s actually leading you astray. Naming and labelling it is the first step to shifting from a negative Saboteur mindset toward a more positive perspective.

2. Celebrate Small Wins. Because we tend to return to a happiness baseline with lightning speed, it's important to actively savour the good moments. When a surgery goes well or a grateful client thanks you, take a moment to breathe. Tell your team about it, jot it in a journal, or simply acknowledge it internally. Before you start thinking of tomorrow's patients, give yourself a minute to feel proud of today's work. This practice of gratitude helps interrupt the daily rinse-and-repeat habit – reminding your brain that right now is a worthwhile time to be mindful of all of the good you brought to the day.

3. Set Boundaries and Take Care of Yourself. Saying "no" can be hard, but it’s crucial. Schedule breaks, enforce off-hours, and even block weekends or vacations on your calendar. Remember that you’re more effective when rested – like the airline mantra, “put on your own oxygen mask first”. You wouldn’t hesitate to slow down if a close colleague were on the verge of collapse, so give yourself that same care. By setting clear limits, you break the flow of the Saboteur telling you what to do, and do, and do.

4. Reconnect with Your Purpose. Many veterinarians feel passionate about animals but can lose sight of the deeper meaning. When your sense of success comes from helping lives, not just hitting numbers, achievements become more satisfying and less about external validation.

5. Build Mental Resilience. Positive Intelligence® emphasizes training your ‘mind muscles’ for resilience. For example, if a case doesn't go perfectly, try to find even one insight or silver lining that can support you the next time. In short, think of your mental resilience like physical exercise: regular practice will make it easier to respond with curiosity and positivity rather than stress when outcomes are not as we expected. The stronger this ‘muscle’, the more your self-worth will rest, not just on what you've done but on who you are - a compassionate healer.

Conclusion: A New Perspective for Lasting Fulfillment

In veterinary medicine, we’re used to caring for others – but caring for ourselves is essential, too. By catching the Hyper-Achiever in the act and using positive insights, we can step off the performance treadmill. This shift isn’t just nice to have; it’s key to long-term well-being. Training the mind in this way leads to happier and more successful living and working. Over time, embracing this new perspective helps each success feel more real and each challenge seem more manageable. So, the next time you have a ‘win’ at work, don’t immediately gloss it over or leap to the next goal. Pause. Breathe. Acknowledge your worth, independent of your task list. Your mind – and the animals you care for – will thank you.

Dr. Bill

Sources: Author insights informed by Positive Intelligence® concepts, veterinary well-being research, and articles on professional satisfaction.