Choosing Wisely

“The moment in front of you is not bothering you. You are bothering yourself about the moment that is in front of you.” Michael Singer

When something happens like your dog barking or pulling on the leash, you feel angry and frustrated.

Your perception about that moment of the barking or pulling is what colors the experience.

You are making yourself angry and frustrated. You are labeling the experience as bad or things aren’t perfect or you don’t have time for this.

Then you yell at your dog for vocalizing or you yank on the leash because you tell yourself you can’t handle what’s happening with your dog.

What is showing up in these situations is your own fear.

Fear of not being good enough about keeping your dog safe.

Fear of not being perfect in having a “bomb proof” dog.

Fear of what others are going to say about you and how others perceive you.

Your mind is very powerful, but your mind isn’t so powerful you lose your ability to choose.

You can choose to handle the situation and look at what’s happening inside of you when the world presents a moment you’re saying is bad or terrible or you want to run and hide.

Take the moment and take a conscious breath.

Breathe in and feel the breath travel through you.

Exhale and take a moment and feel the breath leave your body.

Repeat.

See if you can observe the thoughts that come up and learn to let them go.

The only way for your body to let go of past hurts or pain is to allow the sensations to pass through you.

Allow yourself to feel.

Observe the sensations.

Remain present.

This moment is the only moment that matters and it will go by in an instant.

Choose wisely.

Compassionate Self

Normalize failing or making mistakes as part of your journey rather than labeling yourself or someone else (dog included) as being bad.

Our culture is fixated on success and achievement and moving on to the next that we make every effort to avoid the opportunity of learning within lesson of not getting the thing right.

Whatever “the thing” you deemed as the goal or outcome is not the source of your happiness.

Discovering the peace that’s already inside of you when you live fully present in each moment is available to you.

It’s up to you to be brave and be curious to what each day’s lessons are trying to show you.

You can start by not shaming yourself or others (dog included) when something doesn’t go as planned or mistakes happen.

Learn to flow with what is!

The Mystery of Liminal Space

You’ve come to realize what you’re currently doing is no longer working.

You’re tired.

You don’t see any changes happening with your dog and you continue feeling frustrated.

Simultaneously, you know things can be different.

You are feeling the push to make some changes and also feeling the pull to go back to where you were even though it was no longer working.

The liminal space you’re in is uncomfortable and it leaves you feeling uneasy.

You want something different, but crave familiarity.

You want your dog to change, so you can feel more at peace.

You also realize that if you want your dog to do something different, you too have to show up and do different too.

You resist.

You deny that anything you do needs to be different.

You retreat to what you know.

When you do, you also feel uncomfortable there too.

This limbo is part of your growth and it is a marker for change.

It’s ok to feel overwhelmed and uncertain. Growing and learning something new is unpredictable.

It has to be. To do something new and looking to make a change means you will becoming an explorer in your life.

You are charting your next steps in a direction that is more aligned for you.

Be kind to yourself. Be easy on yourself as you move and show up differently.

At the very least, have a good sense of humor and don’t take yourself or your dog so seriously.

You can choose how you experience learning something new and when you can see the joy emanating from your dog in learning together, feel your heart burst open allow the light to shine in.

You deserve it!