The Gap and the Gain: A Veterinary perspective

Imagine this: you have just had a busy day. You performed a successful surgery, managed a challenging anesthesia and led a productive staff meeting. But on your drive home, all you can think about is the diagnosis you couldn't make, the one client you couldn't please, or the staff member who is never happy with the schedule you work so hard to create.

Welcome to Gap thinking. The Gap is where you measure where you are now against where you think you should be. Your ideal vision of success is somewhere in the future you are striving for, and your focus is on this elusive but ever-present target. And social media? It only makes it worse.

We are no strangers to setting high standards, and when we focus on where we fall short or compare ourselves to our colleagues who seem to have it all figured out, here, we set ourselves up for frustration and disappointment. Gap thinking is lack thinking. It trains us to believe that we will be happy when we reach some ideal version of ourselves, sometime in the future. When you are caught in the Gap Trap, you measure your progress looking forward, and your focus is on what is not perfect yet.

Gain thinking, on the other hand, shifts our mindset to our progress and achievements. Instead of looking forward and Gap thinking, look back and focus on how far you have come in your career from where you started. This is the Gain. Every small step forward becomes an opportunity to celebrate, to be more content in the moment, and to step off the treadmill of constant improvement and elusive success. In the Gain, we can enjoy the process of winning and learning, and we measure our progress by looking backward at where we started.

Create your own roadmap for success but let Gain thinking motivate you as you learn new lessons and insights. Enjoy the process as you progress toward your chosen goals.

A few helpful reminders:

1-      Notice Gap thinking when it happens. You can control your thoughts and be kinder to yourself. It takes practice and awareness, but gradually, you will learn to avoid the Gap Trap.

2-      Take time to reflect regularly on your progress. You will be surprised at how much you have achieved.

3-      Collaborate more with your team. Share your wins and lessons learned. This will help remove the stigma of always needing to be perfect.

4-      Practice Gratitude: Acknowledge your gains and cultivate gratitude. Gratitude helps shift your mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance.

Focusing on the Gain will improve your well-being and lead to a more positive and less stressed work environment. And, as you share your new way of Gain thinking, it can become contagious.

'You can be successful and unhappy or successful and happy. The difference is how you measure your progress.'  The Gap and the Gain, Dan Sullivan.

Enjoy the journey!