Hi Everyone
I hope you had a great week! If you missed this last week, here is my formula for how to be a positive person.
This week, I will ask you to be like my dog, Flash. Stick with me, this will make sense soon :).
We brought Flash home about 2.5 years ago from a rescue (named after the superhero because he's super-fast). He decided that we would be his second family. Flash is a mix of chihuahua and a type of terrier. He's the perfect lap dog and loves being held. He only weighs about 15 pounds.
I have noticed that when Flash does something, he often all-out commits to doing activities. Some of these are funny and don't really translate to people, but others we can learn from Flash. Here is a list that goes from funny to more serious:
Barking -- when Flash barks, he puts his whole body into this activity. A good bark literally lifts his front legs off the ground. I think he feels like he's doing his duty to protect the family :).
Shaking -- after a bath (which terrifies him), Flash runs around the house doing his "clean dog" run. When he shakes to remove water, he's so into the shake that he can barely stand up.
Stretching -- when I ask Flash if he'd like to go for a walk, he runs to the door and stretches his front legs and then his back legs and he's ready to go (though I'd recommend that people stretch after they are warmed up).
Running -- when Flash runs, he looks like a tiny greyhound galloping around the track. He loves running up-hill and can easily out-run me on the beach or up a hill. He loves having exercise be part of his day.
Jumping -- Flash in the king of jumping. We joke that his full name is Jumping Jack Flash. I translate this to doing lots of jump rope.
Eating -- Flash only chooses healthy food options. HA, THIS IS A JOKE. Flash eats anything in sight even if it makes him throw up later. Do the opposite of Flash on this one. WE do try to give him healthy food.
Feeling joy and happiness -- it's so fun when Flash runs towards us with complete joy about reaching his family member. He even has a big smile as he runs. And of course there is the happy tail wag when meeting another friendly dog. We could all use more joy, happiness, and friendliness in our life!
Listening -- Flash is an incredibly good listener when we talk to him. He truly wants to understand more words to communicate with us. On the opposite side of this one, he's often spectacularly good at NOT listening when he has an alternative goal in mind :).
Asking for help -- Flash is not shy about asking for help. If our kids fight or there is yelling, he immediately runs to me with a "will you help me?" look on his face and jumps up on my lap with a worried look. He really doesn't like stress and tries hard to avoid it.
Gratefulness -- there are so many moments when we can tell that Flash is so grateful to have found a new home including that contented sigh as he lays on the couch curled up with us.
Compassionate Loving -- Flash's best skill is giving compassionate love to anyone who needs it. I've never experienced a dog with this sense (at least to this level). If someone in our family is sick, he stays by that person. I'll never forget him staying by me for weeks after my brain surgery and growling if anyone tried to take him away.
Yes, this is also a bit of a "convincing piece" that dogs are great companions as many of you know, but I hope this shows many qualities from Flash that we can use on a regular basis too.
Are you committed to reaching your goals and building positive habits like Flash? Give me a shout on this blog. There is also a 40-second video of Flash on the blog.
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Chris "SparkGuy" Downie
Chris (SparkGuy)
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