I was letting the dog out this morning for his first “daily” and got to thinking what an easy life this mutt has. All he does is sleep, eat and eliminate. That’s it! To make it even worse, he was “fixed” years ago so he’s not even going to “get lucky” any time soon! What a life! It would be a pretty boring existence for you and me but ole Tom (his name) seems as happy as he can be. Why? There must be a lesson or two here for us two-legged animals.
We put too much pressure on ourselves trying to amass “things” to keep up with the neighbors and live up to the guidelines that “society” sets for us. We many times set our goals based on these false dogmas. Tom doesn’t do that. He doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body and he couldn’t care less if he is gaining weight or the dog across the street lives in a bigger house. Animals cannot select their goals. Their goals (self-preservation and procreation) are hard-wired in their brains. And their success mechanism is limited to these built-in goal images which we call “instincts.”
Man, on the other hand, has something animals haven’t - Creative Imagination. We can picture goals in our minds and also create them. That makes us not only creatures but also creators! We have the keys to our own happiness that we have total control over. We are the architects of our own success! We are what we think. Unfortunately, unlike Tom, we think about too many things. We overwhelm ourselves at times. Paralysis by analysis! We need to dial it back a little and simplify our aspirations a bit. We need to think good thoughts. Remember:
“If you always think what you’ve always thought…..you’ll always get what you’ve always got!”
Take a lesson from Tom and slow things down. Take a nap today.. have a great meal…wag your tail and don’t take life so doggone serious.
Have a great Sunday! Rick
PS. I need your help!! What can I do to make my blog better and what more can I do to advertise it? I will cherish your comments and/or advice. Let me know. Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your valuable time with me! Rick
March 16th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
No- I never wished to be a dog-I enjoy too much being a female human with the imagination to create-to ponder the wonder, so to speak.-Einstein said it best with “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysteries. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.” So says the great man who couldn’t pass Math. So have a wonder-full day! sky
March 16th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Wow, you should start your own blog! Very insightful. I’m also glad you are not a dog either. Love your comments. Lips
March 16th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Well, sometimes when I just can’t seem to keep up with thing, yeap, I do wish that I was ‘that mutt’:)
“If you always think what you’ve always thought…..you’ll always get what you’ve always got!” - How profound! Enjoyed the read. You got me thinking.
Cheers!