Finding inspiration to keep you in business for the long haul

A 25 year career that still excites

Dr. Suzan Murray is chief veterinarian of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. where she has worked for 25 years and helped develop a program that shifted away from anesthetizing animals, which is dangerous, to an interactive program where trainers have taught seals to be still for eye drops and gorillas to place their backs against the fence so they can access their health monitors.

Dr. Murray tells Chris Wallace that she started off as a student at the National Zoo 25 years ago. “On my very first day, we anesthetized a cheetah, and I remember thinking ‘I’ve done it,’ you know? I’m a veterinary student and I’ve touched a cheetah, and I can go home now.”

But Dr. Murray didn’t go home, she pushed ahead and has now been the chief veterinarian for over a decade. In everything Dr. Murray says during the interview, her love for the animals, and her passion is so obvious, and it is clear she is one of the lucky people that wakes up in the morning and is enthusiastic about going to work and innovating.

How does one find that inspiration?

Sometimes it takes looking back to your childhood to discover your passion, or even something you enjoyed in school, or picked up along the way. In this recession, we have heard so many stories of people changing careers or starting their own company – it is more common than you may think. When you talk about your career, do you have that glimmer of excitement in your eyes like Dr. Murray, a 25 year vet does?

Tony Robbins says, “Passion is the genesis of genius.” We tend to agree. Finding that inspiration is in tapping into what you are passionate about, taking that risk, that leap of faith that doing what you are really passionate will fulfill your life and put you somewhere you want to be in 25 years. If you already have that enthusiasm, keep pushing, and keep tapping into your genius, and don’t let it fade – these are the keys to longevity in any career.