3 Life Lessons from Our Furry Friends

If you know me well, you know I LOVE animals. There is something about just watching and being around them that just makes me happy. No matter what is happening in my life, my ultimate escape is spending time with an animal. Whether it’s walking my sweet baby girl, Penny, or visiting the Phoenix Zoo – everything feels more manageable after I have spent some time with my animals friends.

It occurred to me recently there are three lessons I regularly learn from sweet animal friends. If you have some animal friends in your life (and even if you don’t) I encourage you to slow down and take notice of these very important life lessons we learn from our animals.

1 – Get excited about the little things

If you have a puppy in your life, you know there are few things better than the warm welcome of an excited dog when you get home at the end of the day! No matter what happened that day, seeing your little furry one jump and twirl when you get home is one of the best feelings in the world. It is also wonderful to watch, when your pup gets excited when you reach for her leash, or when you pick up her food dish. These are such little things, but the deep profound glee your little pup feels for these “little things” is incredible. We must remember to also allow ourselves to get excited about the little things in our life. Savor that delicious bite of spaghetti. Marvel at the beauty of the flower in your backyard. Get REALLY excited to have lunch with your best friend. It’s okay. These little moments make up the majority of our life – so let’s start celebrating them!

2 – Live in the now

When I wake up everyday, my sweet Penny is almost always laying on the bed next to me – patiently waiting for me to get up and take her for our morning walk. When I finally get up, she jumps and twirls. She knows what’s about to happen. I put her leash on and we head downstairs. I happily watch her as she quickly trots from bush to bush – sniffing away! She is so happy! And she is so present. She is thinking about nothing but what she is exploring in that moment. What a great lesson! I know I’m guilty of almost never living in the now. I am almost always thinking about the future or reliving the past. I worry about possible scenarios that may never even come to pass. I worry about what I said to a friend or colleague. “I shouldn’t have said it that way.” or “I wish I hadn’t have done that.” All of these thoughts are such a waste of time and energy. It’s so important we learn to train ourselves to love and live in the present. Enjoy the moment you’re in and make it the best you can.

3 – Love unconditionally

This might be the most important lesson of all. Don’t you love those shirts that say, “Help me be the person my dog thinks I am.”? It doesn’t matter what mistakes you might have made, or if you haven’t walked your puppy in a week, your sweet little dog, is still excited to see you and loves you – no matter what. Wouldn’t it be great if we treated our relationships with other humans this way? I challenge you to try. The next time you find yourself feeling hurt or frustrated by someone in your life, I challenge you to go to a place of love and understanding. Try to see the scenario from their perspective. Try to understand they may be struggling. Try not to take it personally. Then try to feel love and understanding for them instead of anger and frustration. I know this might not result in a feeling of unconditional love. However, I know this will help you feel better – and hopefully strengthen your relationships.

ACTION STEPS

I challenge you to make a conscious choice to implement these lessons in your life.

Get excited about the little things.
Focus on living in the now.
Love everyone in your life unconditionally – even if they don’t love you back

Tell me what changes you plan to make in your life this week in the comments below! Let’s all inspire each other to evolve and be the best versions of ourselves. 🙂

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All my best,

Casey