"Through my undergrad studies and first internship, I learned that dwelling on past mistakes did not solve any problems. When I first began my internship at a local animal clinic, I was easily discouraged when I made mistakes. It was my first time working in the medical field, and I made many mistakes at first. I would be hard on myself internally, telling myself maybe I wasn't cut out for a profession as a veterinarian. In academics, if I did not perform to my expectations, I would be disappointed and default to negative self-talk. I've learned to reflect but not dwell on past mistakes. Once I changed my mental approach toward unexpected or negative outcomes, I made fewer mistakes at the clinic, and my academic outcomes improved as well."
