The secret of success
From the Journal of the American Veternary Medical Association Sept 1, 2003
At
the General Session, speaker Dr. Morgan McArthur energized attendees
with an entertaining and inspirational message. Dr. McArthur, a World
Championship Toastmasters speaker who makes his home in New Zealand,
wove personal veterinary stories into his discussion of success and the
challenges that veterinarians face.
"We have success on
parade, the best of the best in the American Veterinary Medical
Association," he said, speaking before the AVMA awards presentation.
"I had the
privilege of communicating with some of the award winners. It appears
to me that success comes in many different colors, has many different
definitions, and many different formulae, but there seem to be three
elements that weave a continuous thread through success: challenge,
persistence, and attitude in the face of adversity."
In his speech, Dr. McArthur focused on challenges and persistence.
He asked the
audience to think of their challenges. "Everyone has their mountains,
so my question for you is: what are your mountains?"
Is it finding
balance in your life, or is it fitness and health? Is it Consumer
Reports (referring to the July 2003 magazine article that cast a
negative light on the veterinary profession)?
Dr. McArthur asked
his audience to think of their mountains not as obstacles but as
opportunities. The Consumer Reports article is an opportunity for them
to step forward and address public perception, he said.
According to Dr.
McArthur, one of the biggest challenges facing veterinarians is change.
"If you can adapt to change, life always stays fresh," he said.
Another key to
success is persistence. Dr. McArthur used various stories to show how
persistence makes a difference in veterinary practice, including an
extremely hard delivery of a foal that was positioned upside down and
backward. In another, the audience was roped in as he described the
strong will of a neighbor who nursed an extremely sick foal back to
health.
"In life, we face
people who are specialists and say 'no—it can't be done,' he said. "The
only one who can destroy our dreams is us. You never know what we can
grow into."
Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. and the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau co-sponsored the evening.
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