Showing posts with label Indie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indie. Show all posts

Head Tilt #43: Lessons from the leash

Indie and me at UCSC. 🐕 🏃‍♀️

Today I ran the forest trails on the University of California Santa Cruz campus. 

What a run! The sky was clear, the air was crisp with pine and eucalyptus, and the path was empty. I took one of our dogs, Indie, with me. I just adore her; she loves running in the forest-- everything is so ALIVE! (Plus, she gets to be off-leash at times.)

Running with her is also a great way to reinforce her training.

Today I noticed that I said five phrases to her throughout the whole run: 

Leave It

Stay Close

Let's Go

Almost Home

and with much enthusiasm, 

GOOD GIRL! 

As I coached Indie away from another dog near our home stretch, I reflected on the commands I used with her. 

What if, just for fun, I applied them to myself?

I saw it clearly: the Leave It command, spoken with authority, could redirect me when my mind ventures too close to negativity or self-doubt. 

Stay Close would remind me to stay on track and stay focused.

I could use Let's Go to gently push myself when I lag.

Almost Home would renew my commitment when I near completion of a goal. 

Finally, Good Girl!, repeated often, always with love, cheer and at least one exclamation point, could reinforce positive behavior and just make me happy. 🐶

No, I am not saying we should all talk to ourselves the way we talk to our dogs! 

But, if you love your dog and talk to them kindly, it could be a fun framework to ponder. 

For me, the beauty of the way I talk to my dogs rests in its intention, simplicity, clarity, and unconditional love. 

Not a bad foundation for self-talk, if you ask me!