The dilemma we always face is this: will we follow our passions, or choose practicality? Can the two co-exist, especially in this day and age? There are so many reasons not to follow our passions: fear of the unknown, doubt in ourselves, the fear of starting over, or simply having no clear opportunities in sight.
According to Dr. Geoff Carullo's new book, The Veterinary Business Game Theory, it is not so different in the veterinary profession. We might assume that because veterinary falls under medicine, the usual route is to work in a clinic, get promoted, and keep sharpening your skills. But it is usually more of a business, one where you have to be your own boss and make decisions about how to market your clinic and services, set your prices, and budget your expenses to cover employee salaries and inventory.
Practicing veterinary medicine is not just about skills, hard work, and long hours. While those things are important, relying on them alone can leave a vet stuck in the long run. The ceiling of your talent and strength may be the very thing that limits you later on. You always have to keep moving to grow.
Because of that, Dr. Geoff believes that systems and mindset matter just as much as clinical ability. Instead of looking at veterinary practice purely as a medical profession, he advises seeing it as a decision-making game, one where every choice you make now builds the foundation you will stand on later. They all matter, whether big or small.
Dr. Geoff shares his own origin story to ground this idea. He started his clinic with a simple, practical responsibility: to feed his family. He placed himself strategically, acknowledging he was not strong in math but knowing he had the persistence to commit. He chose veterinary medicine not because it was a dream, but because he knew that success was not about proving you can do everything. It was about putting yourself in a position where you can continue to grow and survive.
He started practically. And then his passion for veterinary medicine grew.
For Dr. Geoff, practicality opens doors to opportunity, and opportunity builds competence. With competence comes confidence, and confidence eventually ignites passion. In this view, passion becomes the result, not the driving force.
This is not to dismiss the love you may already feel for animals or for helping them. It simply means looking at the bigger picture. To do this work for the long run without burning out, you have to be able to sustain it, and that requires being practical. You need to survive in order to keep serving this profession.
If you keep going, passion will find its way through. You will discover it in the process of doing the work well, of building something that lasts, of finding yourself genuinely thriving in what you do.
In the end, Dr. Geoff calls on vets to break the illusion and face reality. You are not just a vet. You are also a builder, a leader, and an entrepreneur. Wearing that many hats is hard to sustain alone. You will need a team, a system, and a clear goal to grow toward.
Let your practicality sustain your passion.