Feeling like an imposter?

So, I’m sure many of you (maybe all of you) have heard the term imposter syndrome by now. This is a rather loaded term, and it is associated with feeling like you are not “good enough.” I have spent most of my life feeling like I was not “good enough”. I grew up, and was NEVER the popular kid, or the kid that was good at sports, etc. I struggled with “rejection” is all its many forms as I was growing up. First there were several guys who I crushed on that either ignored me or flat out rejected getting to know me. Then it came time to join the workforce and I got caught in the you need experience to get experience cycle. That is just the cliff notes of my background that got me to where I am today.

This March will mark 5 year since I got my Veterinary Technology degree, and this month marks 4 years actively working as an LVT! I have worked in several different clinics both during my schooling, and since becoming a LVT. I have been exposed to a lot of different things. Yet, I still feel like I am a kid “playing house”, and that I need a more adult adult to tell me what to do. I lack the confidence to believe that I can do a lot of things, at times. I also feel like I am not capable of being the type of adult that the world considers successful.

I have so many things that I feel like I should have done, or should have a better handle on by now, and there are days where I feel like I am a failure for not having it all together the way society says I should. I have been through so much that has brought me to where I am today, and while it has been anything BUT easy, there is so much of my journey that I would not trade for the world. I have been fighting a lot of negative self-image type of things lately, and wondering if the things I am passionate about and enjoy doing are of any value. For example, I have had the dream for a while now to be a content creator, but have struggled to feel like anyone would be interested in the lifestyle type of things that I am passionate about sharing. Overall, I just feel like “who cares” about what I have to share? I believe that I could be an awesome content creator if I could push past this view and just be more intentional about sharing the things I’m passionate about. I want to believe somebody out there could be inspired or motivated by my story.

I want to make 2024 the best year yet, and I want to believe that big things are going to happen for me this year! I don’t know exactly what that may mean, or how I will go about making these dreams a reality, but I am tired of believing the lie that I am not good enough, simply because my life doesn’t look like what society tells me it should. I am tired of feeling like an imposter or even a failure! I am taking back my life this year!

If you feel like you are an imposter or failure, know that you are not alone and you are good enough! I am here and ready to foster community with anyone who needs someone who believes they are more than capable! I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

New Video Went Live !

What are your goals/resolutions/dreams for 2024? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Dreaming of a New Year & New Goals…

Thanksgiving 2023 has come to a close! This year has been going by so Fast! I can hardly believe the year is quickly coming to a close. This year has been an adventure, and in many ways nothing like how I expected it to go.

I have been thinking and dreaming about how I want to enter 2024, and the things I would like to accomplish this upcoming year. I am thinking and dreaming up my dreams and goals to help me be who I aspire to be.

I have been so blessed to have a place to truly call home for the last couple months. I have been so excited about decorating for the holidays since I moved in back in April. I have been so excited that not only have I been able to decorate for the holidays, but since I have been working from home I have had plenty of time to enjoy it.

I have a dream for a while now of being a more regular content creator. I have made several attempts to get started, but life has always seemed to get in the way. I am tired of making excuses, and I want to take big steps toward this goal in the coming months. Cheers to living the kind of life I want to live!

What are some of your goals for this upcoming year? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

National Veterinary Technician Week 2023

Happy National Vet Tech Week! This week looks a little different for me because it is the first Vet Tech Week since becoming a licensed Vet Tech that I am not working in a clinic. Instead I am working remotely as a Vet Tech Scribe. It crazy to think how much has changed over these last few years. Time has flown by, and there are plenty of times I still feel like a “baby” tech and I’ve been licensed since December 2019, and working as an LVT since January 2020.

I know how big of a deal imposter syndrome is because I do battle with it constantly. I am here to tell you (my fellow Vet Techs) that you are amazing! You are capable! You are worth it! You rock! I know this job can wear us out and wear us down, but on this special week that celebrates Vet Techs I am here to remind you that vet med needs YOU! We are all special and unique and therefore we all have a special and unique role to play in the world of vet med.

So, thank you for all you do for the animals! Remember why we do what we do, and that success in vet med looks different for everyone. I didn’t know when I started my journey in vet med that I would end up where I am at currently, but as I am just over a month into this new role I am excited about the progress I’ve made since day 1, and excited about what the next few weeks hold as I continue to settle into this job.

Updated Life Goals

I wanted to take a moment to share a snapshot of my life goals that I have and wish to achieve.

Grow in my faith consistently
Financial independence ( multiple income streams )
Successful content creator/ influencer
Be a source of positive motivation and encouragement by sharing my story
Have a family of my own
Save for a dream home
Write a book

Those are just a few of the goals that I have for my life. I want to live life on my own terms and to chase big dreams. What are the goals that you have for your life?

My faith in The Lord is the MOST important thing in my life.

Four Ways I Deal With Stress

Veterinary medicine and the “adulting” world in general is full of stress and I am by no means an expert of dealing with stress. I just wanted to share some of the things that have helped me in the hopes that they help someone else. I have never been someone who has been motivated to exercise, especially when I have a lot going on in my life. I know that exercise is good for dealing with stress, and I am still trying to find the type of exercise that I can be inspired by. However, there are some things I have done that have proved helpful for me and I am going to share those things below.

#1 The most important thing that I find helpful (as a Christ Follower) is to pray whenever I am stressed. Along that same vein I find being in fellowship with like-minded believers and reading my Bible to be vitally important to helping me when life gets to be a little much.

#2 Journaling about what is going on, journaling my prayers (see #1 above) and getting my thoughts organized has been a great help for me. I have found that getting things out of my head and onto paper helps me to feel like I know not only what’s going on but also gives me an outlet to expressed those stressed feelings in an open and honest way.

#3 When things get stressful I like to remind myself of my WHY. That is why I started whatever it is. For example, as I was attempting to finish my vet tech degree and pass the VTNE I had to constantly remind myself of why I started this journey in vet med. Then when I have a stressful day at work I have to do the same thing. So know your why and constantly remind yourself when times get difficult.

#4 Finally, you can’t discount the benefit of a good cry sometimes. There are times when it can be “too much”, and I am trying to remember that in those moments that sometimes a good cry can do wonders. I am an Enneagram Two (The Helper/The Giver) this means that I am an empathetic and recovering people-pleaser. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed at times as well as being a little extra emotional. I am learning that it sometimes ok to allow myself to feel the emotions in order to deal with what is going on in the moment. Other times I will wait until I can have some time to set with the feels and have a good cry.

Those are just some of the things that I have found that help me to deal with the stress in my life. I am by no means an expert, and if you have strong emotions and stressors in your life please find someone who can help you. There is no shame in getting the help that you need. What helps you when you are stressed?

How I Stay Organized

Yesterday I sent out an email explaining how I plan my week. If you would like to join my email community please contact me with a valid email and I would be thrilled to add you.

How I plan involves a couple things. I have a notebook where I “brain dump” a master to-do list of things I want/need to accomplish. I will also track packages I am waiting on from online orders. I update these lists as needed.

I have a traditional planner that has a monthly and weekly view. This is where I keep track of events and where I put items from the master to-do list and when I plan to accomplish those tasks.

I have a weekly tah-dah list where I write down everything I accomplished that particular week. While it may not be necessary it gives me some motivation.

That’s how I structure my week, and plan what I would like to accomplish. However, there are other tools I use to stay organized. I have a financial planner/spending tracker where I track when bills are due and how much I am spending each month. This helps me to determine my money use habits as well as how to plan out each paycheck.

Finally, I use the app AnyList to create digital shopping/wishlists. This allows me to keep the lists for different stores in one central place and be able to access them on the go.

While I might not be perfect at staying organized these things are the tools that help me to keep my life and all the stuff of life organized as best I can. I hope that this helps give you some ideas or inspiration o how you can stay organized. What are your favorite tools or ways to stay organized?

Motivation Monday: Be The Change

This year (2023) I want to be more intentional about sharing content and building a community of folks that support and encourage each other. So far I have been successful in weekly Sunday emails, and Monday blog post. If you would like to join my email community then send me your email address at modernvettech@gmail.com and I will happily add you to my email community. My intention is to work to keep up with weekly emails and either blog or YouTube posts. The days could change as life changes but this is what I think I will work toward for now:

* Weekly Emails- Sundays

* Weekly Blog Or YouTube Post- Mondays

My Monday Motivation this week is my dream of a community within Vet Med (Veterinary Professional and Animal Lovers alike). We all love animals, and I think it’s important that we as humans show kindness to each other as well. All too often today’s society (esp in Vet Med) we are not supportive and actually in some cases downright ugly to each other. My motivation is to be the change and to encourage the change. The Golden Rule says to treat others the way you want to be treated. However, I would go a step further to say that we need to be kind to each other because regardless we are all imperfect humans who deserve a supportive and encouraging community.

Who wants to be the change with me?

2022 Year End Reflection

I have been thinking back on this past year a lot, especially recently as this new year is beginning. I have had a lot happen in my personal and professional life over the last year. I wanted to take an moment to reflect back on the events of this year and share with you about where I am as a result of events that have happened. I will also share any lessons that I may have learned along the way. I have a couple prompts I found on Pinterest that I am going to use to help me focus my reflection.

What milestones did you reach this year?

This year I have been working a nearly combined 4 years in different vet clinics. I will have been serving as a licensed technician for 3 out of those 4 years. I still know that I have much to learn, but I am also grown by leaps and bounds in my technical skill set, especially over the last couple months. I am a few months into a new job at a new clinic where I am facing many challenging growth opportunities. Each day is different and I am a mix of emotions, but I know that this change has helped me to push past my comfort zone and challenged me to become a more confident technician.

What was a lesson that you learned this year?

One of the biggest things that I learned is that I am capable of a lot more than I tend to give myself credit for. I am the type of person who has never been very confident about much of anything, but I am learning that I can do hard things. There has been so much over this past year that seemed too hard (if not impossible), but that I have been able to grow through. One of the biggest things is I am learning how to simply be comfortable in my own skin. I have become more accepting of the woman that I am, and have been learning how to love even the things that are not “perfect” about myself. I am also learning what it means to be ok with not being a people pleaser all the time.

What are you most grateful for from this year?

I am most grateful for quality time with my loved ones. I have seen over the last few years of my life just how important those moments with loved ones truly is.

What did you discover about yourself this year?

As I said earlier, I learned that I am capable of much more than I have given myself credit for. I have also learned that I grow by leaps and bounds when I push beyond my comfort zone. I have some big crazy dreams, but this past year has shown me that when I set my mind to something that the impossible becomes possible.

An encouraging story from this year…

The day after my birthday (early in the year) I awoke to discover that I could hardly move and wasn’t able to sit up (or walk) for very long at all. I don’t think I had ever been in so much pain. I was diagnosed with pain related to my sciatic nerve. After, numerous trips to urgent care and several medications I was still not getting any better. It was finally a trip to the chiropractor that got me back on my feet. It took several months, and more adjustments before I started to feel “normal” again. I still don’t know what I did that triggered the episode, but I am thankful that I have been doing so well without having to make several trips to the doctor each week or be on long term medications. This experience has made me more mindful of taking care of this one body that I have been given. I am not perfect, but I am making progress when it comes to habits related to my physical health.

That’s the cliff notes highlights of my 2022. I have got some big ideas for things I want to accomplish in 2023. I hope that you will join me on this adventure that is this new year, and keep your eyes open for what I will be sharing in the weeks and months to come.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Life Update: Winter 2022-2023

I wanted to take a moment and share with you what my goals are for the upcoming year and an update on how life is going. This past year has been a busy one, and I have been faced with a LOT of changes that have opened the opportunity for growth and development. It has not been an easy journey, but I know that it is helping me to become the type of woman that I want to be.

I usually wait until later in the year before I set goals, but because of everything that I have had going on lately I have been thinking a lot about the type of woman I want to be and the goals that will help me get there in the upcoming new year. Below are my goals for this upcoming year. This year I want to do a better job of holding myself accountable to this goals, so when I come up with a system that I am going to try I will be sure to share that system because I know that sticking to goals can be a challenge.

2023 Goals…

1. Use up as many beauty products as possible

2. Set up multiple streams of income (start a side hustle)

3. Establish better health habits to help me create a healthier lifestyle over all

4. Save up for big “adult” purchases

5. Invest in myself through things like continuing education as well as reading books…also by saving money as much as possbible

6. Create an email list and provide valuable content regularly to those on that list

7. Stop being so hard on myself (less negative self talking) about any mistakes or shortcomings, but growing from those moments/circumstances

Those are the goals that I have set for myself in this new year. I hope that this is going to be the best year yet. I know that each year there will be challenges, but I also know that I have made great progress in recent months and years in becoming more of the woman that I would like to be. I am more confident in myself personally and professionally speaking that I ever have been. I am excited about what awaits me in the days, weeks, and months to come.

What are some of your goals for the upcoming new year? What type of person do you want to be in 2023, and what goals will help you get there? Please feel free to comment below.