Stop Playing Small: Why Possibility Thinking Changes Everything
The Vet Together team for PVA: Gerry Harkins, Dr. James Toth, me, James Tudor, Rachel Hartwell
I’ve been drawn to possibility thinking for as long as I realized it was an option.
As a kid, my parents told me I could be anyone I wanted to be — and they meant it — but it always came with the fine print: work hard, be responsible, play it safe. It was about survival, not expansion. The message was: do more, work harder, and be grateful for what you get. There wasn’t much talk about dreaming bigger or building something extraordinary.
That mindset sticks with you. It follows you through school, through vet med, and right into ownership. Before you know it, you’re running a business on the same “just survive it” fuel that once got you through organic chemistry.
The View from New Orleans
Last week, I attended the Vet Together conference in New Orleans, representing Premier Vet Alliance. My goal was simple: talk to practice owners about subscription preventive care plans and see where they were in their readiness for a new model.
But what I walked away with was something else entirely.
I met people who made me remember what’s possible in this profession.
There was a CVT who founded a nonprofit providing accessible veterinary services to her community — now leading it as CEO.
There was a husband-and-wife team who own four thriving practices, including a drive-through wellness clinic where clients can pull up, vaccinate, and head out again.
And there was an independent and woman-owned, three-partner practice with six locations and the managerial efficiency of a corporation.
These folks weren’t talking about what might go wrong. They were talking about what could go right. About scaling, serving, creating something bigger than themselves. Their energy was contagious — the kind that reminds you why you chose this profession in the first place.
The Other Side of the Room
But there was another group at that same conference — smart, talented practice owners who couldn’t stop talking about what could go wrong.
What if clients cancel and stop paying
What if the team won’t buy in and resists change?
What if the software doesn’t integrate well?
They weren’t wrong to ask those questions. They were doing what we were all trained to do — look for the problem first.
It’s how we were taught to think. As doctors, we’re wired to diagnose what’s broken, to fix what’s not working. That’s great medicine. But in business and leadership, that habit can quietly become the thing that holds us back.
When you’re trained to find what’s wrong, it can feel dangerous to focus on what’s possible.
I’ve Been Both
If I’m honest, I’ve stood in both camps.
There have been seasons when I led with vision, when I was fueled by ideas and momentum and couldn’t wait to build something new.
And then there have been times when I slipped into scarcity — when I caught myself asking, What if I can’t keep up? What if this doesn’t work?
I’ve learned the hard way that those thoughts don’t sound negative at first. They sound responsible. They sound like good leadership. But they’re not. They’re fear in disguise.
Scarcity isn’t just about limited time or money. It’s what happens when you stop giving yourself permission to try new things or take smart risks. That’s when growth stalls — and you start playing small.
Possibility Feeds Progress
Here’s what those big-thinking leaders in New Orleans reminded me: every major leap in this profession — and in your own career — started with someone willing to think bigger.
The drive-through wellness practice didn’t happen because someone sat around asking what could go wrong. It happened because someone asked, “Why not?”
The nonprofit didn’t appear out of nowhere. It took someone deciding that access to care shouldn’t depend on income — and building a structure to make that possible.
Those stories exist because someone thought beyond limitations.
So Where Are You Aiming?
As we head toward the end of the year, this is the perfect time to check in with yourself.
Have you been leading from possibility or from fear?
Are you building what you truly want — or just maintaining what you have?
When was the last time you let yourself imagine something new for your practice, your team, or your own life?
You can’t grow what you don’t envision.
Your Next Step
If you’re ready to shift from survival to strategy, from scarcity to possibility, here’s where to start:
Revisit my earlier post: How Your Vision Can Change Your Life
Download the Destination Success: Visioning & Goal Setting Workbook It’ll walk you through setting clear goals for the year ahead.
Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call to work through your big-picture goals with me.
Because the truth is, every great veterinary leader started with the same question: What’s possible if I stop playing small?
You can do this.
Now go take your life back.
I had the privilege of consulting with Premier Vet Alliance at Vet Together in New Orleans — a gathering where independent practice owners, managers, and veterinary leaders come together to share ideas that move our profession forward. Premier Vet Alliance partners with clinics worldwide to grow preventive-care plans that boost compliance, strengthen client loyalty, and make everyday medicine easier for teams and pet parents alike.
