If you think you’re not getting opportunities in your career or life, this might be the reason why.
For those of you who have never worked inside a veterinary clinic, let me tell you how appointments work. First, a pet owner requests an appointment by phone or online. Then, they tell the clinic WHY they want an appointment. This piece of information is known as the “presenting complaint.” Presenting complaints can look like anything from “Needs vaccines” to “Shaking head and crying,” to “Scared of holiday decorations.” Honestly, I can’t overstate the variety of presenting complaints most of us in the clinics have seen.
Anyway, once the presenting complaint is taken, it’s put into our scheduling program so that everyone on the staff can know what pets are coming in, when, and why. At this point, at least half the staff (usually the least senior half) will begin trying to predict what the presenting complaint actually means and what will need to be done to address the problem when it arrives.
Sure, “shaking head and crying” is most likely your standard ear infection, but what does “Not acting right” mean? How about “Won’t stop moving his mouth,” or “attacking own foot”? The mental gymnastics that young vet professionals go through before these appointments arrive is something to behold.
I have personally tied myself in knots trying to guess what I am about to encounter inside an exam room. I have also created countless detailed treatment plans in my head that were immediately discarded upon seeing the actual patient. Believe me when I say that your chances of accurately guessing why a patient is “attacking own foot” are much lower than you would imagine. Also, the biggest medical disasters I have seen in my career have had presenting complaints like “needs vaccines” and “just has quick question.”
Even when we clearly ask what an encounter is going to be about, we still usually have no real idea until we walk into the room. This is how most opportunities in life present as well. We get some kind of vague message about an opportunity and what it might be, but that initial message rarely matches up to what we will find if we go investigate.
Whether we are about to see an appointment, go on a first date, or interview for a job we don’t know much about, we should beware trying to predict what we will find before we get there. Sometimes jobs we don’t initially think we are qualified for or interested in turn out to be fantastic opportunities. Occasionally the blind date your mom sets up turns out to be a soul mate. Maybe the vet practice your one friend worked at and didn’t like is actually the perfect place for you to be.
Just like a medical appointment, we do everyone a disservice if we don’t walk into possible opportunities with an open mind. Worrying, telling ourselves stories, and jumping to conclusions is never helpful and these behaviors hold us back.
What stories are you telling yourself about an opportunity you haven’t actually examined yet? Maybe it’s time you quit guessing about what is true, confidently opened the door, and performed a proper examination. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
About the photo: I did a keynote in Manhattan City, CA a few weeks ago. This was the view from outside the venue. Saying yes to this opportunity gave me the unexpected gift of this incredible view!