Friday, March 7, 2008

Can an old dog teach you a new trick?

Did you ever train a dog? Well here's the secret behind that... sitting up or rolling over were never the point. The lessons were about responsibility and knowing the limits of one's ability to control. That's right, the lessons were for you! Chances are, if you got anywhere, you figured out that it was no use blaming the dog. You reward or discipline the dog in order to get the desired result. You may have even figured out that the reward worked best. But did you learn the trick? Or is there an old dog out there rolling over and showing you up? The trick you were supposed to learn is how to deal with every other person in your life. Trust me, you will find few that can be controlled like a dog but the principal is the same. You have no more reason to make demands and place expectations on a person than you do on a dog. If you think I am saying people are like dogs you are already forgetting that the lessen is about you. It's just that if a person, or a dog, does not do as you expect then you only have yourself to blame. Don't take it too hard though. Some just take a little longer to train.
Here's a tip (not to take too seriously); when trying to control a person there is no better place to connect the leash than at the wallet. ;)