Have you ever seen a dog work? Well, my dog Henry certainly doesn’t. He is either playing enthusiastically or asleep. Henry is one of my mentors in life, so I am more than happy to take a leaf out of his book. I don’t think I have ever seen him have a bad day.
In fact, I have never seen a dog work hard in my whole life. Even working dogs look like they are enjoying themselves. So, why the misleading phrase ‘working Like a dog’? It amuses me. To be honest, I think the actual phrase is awesome. The problem is people’s interpretation of it.
I do have a pet hate though: the language around work and life. Society’s default state seems to suggest that life is supposed to be a struggle. It has to be a slog. It’s about about thrashing yourself until you eventually arrive, slightly broken, at some distant Nirvana.
I know this might hurt to hear, but if you are finding life hard, you are just not doing it right.
If you’re struggling to get somewhere, you are missing the best bit – the journey. If your solid determination to reach your goals means you don’t have time for leisure, friendship, love or enjoyment, there’s something badly wrong.
If you’re not having fun on the way, you probably won’t enjoy it even when you get there. (click to tweet)
Fulfillment in life is not a destination. It’s an approach, a mentality, a process.
If a dog had your life I guarantee they would be enjoying it. Everything you find hard, they would find easy. A dog just doesn’t care about what has happened in the past or what the future holds – they focus on what is in the moment.
You see, the secret to a great life – a dog’s life – is to enjoy today, not tomorrow. It is not about what life brings to you, but what you bring to life.
We travel heavy in life because of baggage caused by the messages given by the world around us – about how life should be, and how work is. You don’t have to buy into this. So my advice is to change what needs to be changed and learn how to travel light.
This doesn’t mean you have to change what you are doing; but rather, change how you think about what you are doing, for better results.
Your state of mind is yours to control, and you always have choices. There is no point hustling if you don’t enjoy the hustle. There is no point fighting if you don’t enjoy the fight.
Find out and live the formula that works for you, and relish your existence. Escape whatever prison you are holding yourself in, and just live!
Stop and smell the roses, instead of racing ahead, hacking your way through the thorns that are scratching your skin and leaving a fluttering of dead petals in your wake. People talk about what it takes for them to ‘get through life’ as if it’s an inconvenience.
Your time here is limited, and life IS what it’s all about, so why don’t more people savour it? Start fully experiencing the life that you are supposed to be living, and enjoy every moment of the journey.
If you conquer the world’s misconceptions, and you understand the true meaning of ‘working like a dog’, you will find that does not mean working hard at all. Often, it involves lying on your back in the sun, kicking your legs in the air and wagging your tail with sheer exuberance.
Here’s to living a dog’s life.
As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this post. ‘Speak Your Mind’ below!
Marc
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So true! At least once a week (usually while gazing at my own dog snoozing by my side), I say to myself, It’s a dog’s life. An just this morning, before reading your post, I came to a few decisions that would allow me to enjoy life a bit more like my dog does (minus the multiple naps a day). Thanks for the affirmation!
Try the naps as well! Thanks for sharing that Sherry.
Hi Marc,
The saying probably goes back to when dogs were once working animals like sheep dogs and hunting dogs etc. but like others maybe they have forgotten the purpose of “real” life – good how they managed that role reversal – we work harder than ever whilst they sleep 🙂
Enjoying your posts/blogs and was pleased to discover TED.COM as another spin off!
All the Best
Chris
There is life before TED and there is life after TED. I am glad you are enjoying the discovery!
This couldn’t have arrived in my inbox at a better time. A confirmation that I’ve recently chosen the right path. “Escape whatever prison you are holding yourself in; and just live!” I couldn’t have said it any better, ‘ol boy. See you tomorrow. Let’s get mischievous!
The path of global mischief is the big dog’s path…
All sounds so true, the problem is the bit about finding out the formula which works best for you … how do you do that bit as the rest sounds great!!
Test and learn. Test and learn. Test and learn.