Lessons From My Puppy

Bringing a puppy home has reminded me of some of the early years in raising our daughter, who just graduated from college a couple weeks ago. I am reminded that as we teach and train - whether that be with a child or a puppy - we have an opportunity to learn a few of life's great lessons along the way.

Here are three lessons I am reminded of...

Focus on what you want.

How often do you say NO instead of YES? Do you focus on what you WANT or what you DON'T WANT? Whatever you give attention and energy to, you will attract more of that into your life. 

I have re-learned this lesson the hard way. When puppies go through teething, they chew on everything - including hands, ears, clothes - anything they can get their teeth into! I was scolding our puppy for nipping at me, and her negative behavior was escalating. Baby teeth are very sharp and I was getting increasingly annoyed. A few days ago my daughter and I went to puppy class with Peanut after having spent the whole day telling her NO. Exasperated, I asked the instructor what we could do to curb the nipping. She said, "Oh, that's easy. You just don't pay ANY attention to her when she does that. And when she is being good you praise her and give her lots of attention! She's doing that to get attention, and it's getting worse because you have been giving her lots of attention for doing it."

That night we had a delightful evening with Peanut after class, as we immediately implemented our new way of handling her unwanted behavior. She was a completely different puppy!How often do you say NO instead of YES? Do you focus on what you WANT or what you DON'T WANT? Whatever you give attention and energy to, you will attract more of that into your life.

I have re-learned this lesson the hard way. When puppies go through teething, they chew on everything - including hands, ears, clothes - anything they can get their teeth into! I was scolding our puppy for nipping at me, and her negative behavior was escalating. Baby teeth are very sharp and I was getting increasingly annoyed. A few days ago my daughter and I went to puppy class with Peanut after having spent the whole day telling her NO. Exasperated, I asked the instructor what we could do to curb the nipping. She said, "Oh, that's easy. You just don't pay ANY attention to her when she does that. And when she is being good you praise her and give her lots of attention! She's doing that to get attention, and it's getting worse because you have been giving her lots of attention for doing it."

That night we had a delightful evening with Peanut after class, as we immediately implemented our new way of handling her unwanted behavior. She was a completely different puppy!

Express yourself!

One of the things I love about dogs is that they are so expressive. Even though dogs cannot talk, they have an amazing way of expressing how they feel, especially with gratitude and appreciation. They wag their tails and use body language and their eyes to convey what they are feeling. When their feelings get expressed to a human, it attracts more of whatever caused that feeling in the first place (more attention, affection, playtime, treats, walks, etc.).

I wonder how we might attract more of what we want into our lives if we did a better job of expressing gratitude and appreciation.

Play hard & rest well.

It' amazing how much energy a puppy has. And when it's nap time, they sleep solid as a rock.

We could learn a thing or two from puppies. Most adults I know tend to work more hours than they want to. That often means that for a number of our working hours we are tired and must force ourserlves to work with low energy and concentration. We may work longer hours, but the intensity of our work is not what it could be. And when we have down time, we don't really know how to relax.

If you're like many busy professionals, you are booked solid. In between appointments, you struggle to catch up with projects, reports, reading, phone calls, correspondence, e-mail, etc. With the pace you keep, you probably feel fatigued...like you're running on empty.

This can wreak havoc on your business or career, as well as your personal life. Consider these common symptoms of fatigue:

• Lack of motivation and energy
• Irritability
• Reduced productivity
• Reduced efficiency and effectiveness
• Reduced quality / increased mistakes
• Stressed relationships
• Not having fun!

You may be unaware of how run down you've become. Perhaps you have bought into the old adage that "time equals money." If spending more time at the office equated to making more money, we could all retire early! 

By now you've figured out that more time at the office does not necessarily equate to more or better results. In fact, it often means fewer results and more mistakes.

Cheryl Richardson, author of Take Time for Your Life, has identified the enemy of rest -- adrenaline: "The increased speed by which we live has contributed to a society suffering from adrenaline overload more than information overload. When we use adrenaline as our main source of fuel, our body's adrenal system--the fight or flight response that is supposed to alert us to and prepare us for danger--never has a chance to rest. This hyper-vigilant state of fight or flight eventually makes it physiologically difficult to slow down." 

If you are one who has difficulty relaxing when you have free time, your body is probably so accustomed to running on adrenaline that it does not know how to derive its fuel from healthier sources. It's time to start practicing new behaviors that reduce your reliance on adrenaline.

Restore rest in your life by trying some of these ideas:

• Identify one day a week in which you choose not to conduct any business - no professional meetings or calls, correspondence, checking for messages or e-mail, etc. Many people choose Sunday for their "day of rest."
• Plan something to rejuvenate yourself - perhaps a massage, bubble bath, listening to relaxing music, or losing yourself in a good book.
• Determine the number of hours of sleep you need for optimal functioning. Create a plan to help you get the rest you need.
• Breathe deeply. When running on adrenaline, we have a tendency towards shallow breathing. When we deprive our bodies of oxygen, we experience such things as cold hands, high blood pressure, and feeling anxious.
• A brisk walk is one of the best things you can do to reduce stress and restore health to your adrenal system.
• Organize your space so you don't waste time looking for things or feeling stressed and overwhelmed.