It’s hard to see the forest through the trees.

When we are so caught up in the everyday to do list and checking off boxes and the minuet, we loose sight of ourselves and fail to see solutions.

Our routines chug along. Routine saves energy, but also keeps us from expanding ourselves.

You’ve been giving your time and energy to all the things, but you’ve been neglecting your own feelings about where you’re life is going, but you don’t have the awareness yet to see where you begin.

Until one day, you had it. You’re walking your dog and your dog explodes at the same dog at the same house at the same time, but today is different.

You explode too. The frustration bubbles over and the discomfort of this experience drives you to make a choice to seek help.

You’re ready to change.

You want your life to look and feel different.

This motivation is crucial to you moving forward.

Taking the first step in contacting a do no harm dog trainer and coach, is the first step towards reaching your goal.

What sometimes we forget or maybe don’t realize is how change isn’t all at once, especially as you teach your dog life skills.

Also, it isn’t just about your dog learning the life skills either.

Change leads you to your own personal growth.

Growth pushes up against your comfort zone again and again.

Leaving you feeling discomfort.

Experiencing discomfort is normal when you’re in a season of growth. Feel it. Experience it. Don’t cause other people or your companion animals pain or hurt because you’re feeling pain.

The only way to get to the otherside is through experiencing your own discomfort.

Discomfort comes from switching up your routine with your dog, getting clear on what matters to you which is helping your dog learn to change his or her emotional responses to all the things, but discomfort also comes from your growth too.

As Glennon Doyle says, “you can do hard things”, you can show up for yourself in a new way, open to explore a new version of yourself and allow yourself to experience the uncomfortable feelings surrounding how you’re changing your life with your dog.

Becoming more aware change leads to growth and discomfort happens in the space between. By being more aware, you can put things into place where you take care of yourself too.

1. Acknowledge your discomfort rather than hiding from it. This may be recognizing I can’t do this by myself. This is a powerful step towards personal transformation. When you can feel you need support, you’re already empowering yourself in taking action when you choose a professional who shares your values.
2. When you’re ready to take the next step in seeking help, make sure to connect with your values when choosing a professional. You love your dog and when you know in your gut love shouldn’t hurt, you’ll choose a pet professional wisely.
3. Sometimes you’re dealing with heavy behavior concerns and your worries get you spiraling. Make sure to take time to rest. Every moment of every day focused on teaching your dog what you want will take its toll. Carve out time to take a break away for other things you can enjoy, so you can also reconnect with yourself. This will be rejuvenating to you and your dog will notice how relaxed you are too.
4. Celebrate your wins. We sometimes suffer from “success amnesia”. This is where we are so hyper focused on getting to an end point, we forget to celebrate the small wins that occur along the way. The wins are necessary all the success in what our dogs are accomplishing, but the wins are also what you learn from the setbacks, challenges and how you adapt in those moments. Choosing to see the “failures” as your growth edge, you achieve so much more.

Getting clear on your goals spills over into how you can have a more joyous life with your dog.