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What Your Dog Can Teach You About Business And Life!

Since I have become a Mompreneur, I also have become a dog mom. Princess Terra, as I lovingly call our dog, has taught me more than I ever could have imagined - as a business owner, mom, wife and friend.

Me and Princess Terra!
In all transparency, I never wanted a dog - I didn’t grow up with a pet (unless you count the snail I had for a few weeks), so I just didn't get it. When my husband, John, started sprinkling how great it would be to have a dog in our nightly dinner conversations, I was so against it. My thought - smells, responsibility, poop, and I had enough of that with our kids. Plus, I remember being chased by a black dog when I was younger and was frightened of dogs in general.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, a family trip to the SPCA, and Princess Terra is part of our
family and my heart. I love her, I get you pet people, and I now realize that dog chasing me probably wanted to play. And Terra has taught me so much! The following three are certainly not the only lessons, but they life changing!

1. Joie de vivre - Terra LOVES life! Every single day. She loves her daily walks, her daily cuddling, her daily play time, her daily treat time - she just loves it. She always finds something new to explore and learn and basks in the seemingly repetitive, mundane as well. Because for her, life is simply amazing. Every time we say "walk" or "treat," she goes bananas and her tail wags enough to generate wind power for our entire neighborhood! What if we experienced life in the same way? What if we searched for the beautiful and exciting even in our must repetitive tasks? What if we focused on something new, looked for something happy and joyous? What if we just loved life for the simple things?

2. Tenacity - OMG is she stubborn! And as much as it may frustrate me, I also admire her relentless pursuit for what she wants. When we go on our walks, if there's a smell she's dying to get to, she will let me know. And there are moments when we have time to stop and smell the roses, and she wins. Other times, my schedule doesn't allow, and we move on. She lets me know she would rather stay and still tries to dig in. It doesn't matter what I say or do. She is not concerned and will try to get what she wants. What if we embraced life with the same zeal? What if we truly went after what we wanted no matter what our friends said, no matter the looks we got, no matter the obstacles in our way?

3. Unconditional love - anyone who has a dog knows that they love you no matter what! Come home from a bad day, get off of an unpleasant call, receive a nasty email, have your kids yell at you and guess what? There's your dog looking at you with love and just waiting to get a good belly rub. How about treating your kids, your significant other, your business the same way? Why not be excited and happy about them? Why not focus on what you love about your business? Why not hug your kids just because? Even if your first reaction is to be frustrated at your business or mad at your kids or irritated at your husband - how about shaking that cute butt of yours and smiling instead?

So embrace your inner dog and love life, go for what you want, and focus on the love that surrounds you! Your kids, your friends, your business, your life, your inner self will thank you. Because guess what? Life will pass you by no matter what. You have the choice to decide if it's from a dog's perspective or not.

P.S. If three lessons are not enough, Homeoanimal.com shares ten lessons that you can feel free to check out. My brain likes the number three and the less is more concept, so I'll leave it right here!
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