“Do you want to come to work with me today?” I asked.
Tail wag.
“Are you ready to go to work?” I asked
Jump, spin, tail wag.
“OK, then, lets do it.”
More jumping and spinning.
“But, here’s the thing… you’ve got to work, you can’t just sit around looking pretty all day. There’s work to be done, and you’ve got pull your weight.”
This was a conversation I had the other morning with my dog, Monty as I got ready to go to the office for the day.
I have an office that’s about a mile from my house, and most days Monty will accompany me there.
I usually have some sort of conversation with him about our plans for the day, and they can be quite insightful. On this particular day it was enlightening.
If you want to uncover hidden beliefs that get in the way, look at your conversations with dog. (Or cat or horse or goldfish). Talk about the unconscious things we say without even thinking about it!
What the hell kind of belief system is this? “You can’t just sit around looking pretty all day, there’s work to be done.” Says who? Why not create a gig where you CAN sit around looking pretty. Or holding energy. Or just being yourself.
I’ve got tell you, I’ve caught myself saying all kinds of strange things unconsciously to Monty over the years that sound just like something my mother would have said to me.
“Stop behaving that way, what will people think?”
“If you don’t shape up we’ll have to get a new dog.” (And yes, I heard this aimed at me as a kid). Etc., etc.
You’ve got to wonder… these are just the things I’ve caught myself saying, for no apparent reason but to fill the space. What else is bouncing around up there in my head, still shaping how I view the world without even knowing it?
This article doesn’t have a solution or a magic answer. But the first step is awareness. Then changing the conversation.
My next conversation with Monty went like this:
“Hey buddy, I take that back. You actually CAN just sit around all day look pretty. You just be your adorable self, and that is more than enough. Thank you for being you.”
Haha – as I type this he just got up from his resting place and walked in the other room.
Perhaps even dogs are afraid to be with their own innate perfection.
In closing, uplevel your conversations with your pets and you just might change your world. 🙂
Woof!
Celebration