{"id":75395,"date":"2023-12-01T00:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T05:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=75395"},"modified":"2023-11-30T16:50:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T21:50:07","slug":"letting-go-fearless-1223","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/letting-go-fearless-1223\/","title":{"rendered":"To Grow, Sometimes We Must Let Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was in college, a pair of metallic silver jeans was my go-to weekend outfit. However, when I started veterinary school, the workload stress quickly gave me a muffin top, and those jeans went into my closet\u2019s \u201cI hope these fit again\u201d section. Since then, and over the past two decades, I have periodically pulled out and tried on the jeans \u2014 jumping, pulling, holding my breath and praying they\u2019d fit somehow. They didn\u2019t. My daughter saw me doing it one day and asked bluntly, \u201cMom, when are you going to let them go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Letting go is a concept I\u2019ve reflected upon for several weeks now after I finally parted ways with the veterinary practice I used to own. Many of us are at a career stage in which we\u2019re starting to face the challenge of having aging parents and what lies ahead. We\u2019re also thinking about our kids getting older and moving on with their lives.<\/p>\n

However, when we consider our profession, our hospital and our relationships with colleagues and clients, the fear of letting go sits at the center of why we stagnate. For example, you might struggle with terminating a toxic employee you personally hired, firing a client who likes you but disrespects your team, updating an antiquated, money-losing inventory management system<\/a> you\u2019ve used for 20 years, or taking a new job. One pivotal psychology study found that a person always tolerates a certain level of discomfort before acknowledging the need for change. There\u2019s no way around it: Change is uncomfortable at first.<\/p>\n

Here are three ways to face fear head-on and jump-start an immobile hospital or human.<\/p>\n

1. Tell Your Inner Control Freak to Sit Down<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At one point in practice ownership, my business partner and I had to decide whether to change our practice information management system<\/a>. We had experienced recent computer crashes, struggled with backing up the system and noticed more inefficiencies. However, making the switch in a 65-year-old practice with 11 veterinarians, over 50 team members and an outdated wiring framework seemed daunting at best. I tried to argue why what we used didn\u2019t need to be replaced \u2014 it worked most of the time. Even when presented with a replacement system offering fancy features, significant upgrades and a more user-friendly interface, I resisted. I was the poster child for someone overcome with the fear of letting go.<\/p>\n

Among the many reasons people don\u2019t move forward are:<\/p>\n