Introduction
We live in a world where we’re constantly being told to focus on the present and ignore the long-term future. It’s as if an entire generation of corporate leaders has been hypnotized into believing that thinking about anything beyond the next quarter is just so overrated. But like many other people, I’ve always felt differently about this issue. And recently, I got some new insight into why this is when my wife and I adopted our first dog from the local animal shelter.
Dogs live in the moment.
Dogs live in the moment. They don’t worry about the past or future, they don’t worry about what other people think and they don’t worry about what other dogs think. Dogs are also very good at not getting attached to things because they know that every day is a new day and there’s always something better around the corner.
This is something we can all learn from! I know when I’m feeling stressed out about something, it helps me to remember that no matter how bad today was or how much my boss hates me for spilling coffee on her desk (true story), tomorrow will be better than today was because it will be another opportunity for me to try again and do better next time around.
Dogs are focused on their goals.
Dogs are focused on their goals. If you ask them to go for a walk, they’ll go for a walk. If you want to play fetch with them, they’ll play fetch with you. They don’t make excuses or procrastinate; they just get down to business doing what needs to be done in order to achieve their end goal–which is usually based around food or affection (or both).
If your company doesn’t have goals or if those goals aren’t clearly defined and communicated throughout the organization, then it’s unlikely that everyone will be working toward achieving them together as one cohesive unit. When everyone has different ideas about where they’re going and why they’re going there, it can lead to confusion and miscommunication among employees who might otherwise be able to collaborate effectively if only given clear direction from above.
Dogs are good at learning from mistakes.
Dogs are good at learning from mistakes. If you’ve ever seen your dog make a mistake, like knocking over a stack of books or eating something they shouldn’t have, they’ll probably be more careful with it next time around.
Dogs are resilient. Dogs don’t dwell on the past or feel sorry for themselves. They just move on and get back to doing what they love!
Dogs don’t sweat the small stuff.
Let’s look at a few examples.
When you’re in the middle of training a puppy, it can be tempting to focus on all of the things they’re doing wrong. You might think: “If I just teach my dog to sit, that would be great!” But then you realize your dog isn’t sitting correctly and needs more practice with this specific skill before moving on to something else. So instead of moving forward with all four paws planted firmly on earth (or carpet), he hops up onto his back legs and stands like a human being, looking proud as punch about his achievement.
It’s easy for us humans to get bogged down by details like this when our lives are already busy enough–but dogs don’t sweat them! Dogs don’t waste time worrying about whether or not their paw placement is perfect; they just want something tasty or fun right now! And if there isn’t anything fun happening right now? Well then maybe tomorrow will be better than today…
We can learn a lot from our dogs about how to manage our businesses.
You might be surprised to learn that we can learn a lot from our dogs about how to manage our businesses.
As you know, I’m an avid dog lover, and my two pups are some of the best students I’ve ever had. They’re incredibly good at learning from mistakes–they don’t sweat the small stuff and they live in the moment while remaining focused on their goals. If your dog makes a mess on your carpet or chews up one of your shoes, he doesn’t dwell on it; instead he moves forward with his day as if nothing happened at all (and this is exactly how we should approach problems in our own lives).
Conclusion
Dogs are amazing animals, and they have a lot to teach us about life. They can be our best friends, but they can also help us learn how to run a business better. It’s important that we take time out of our busy schedules every once in awhile just so we can spend some quality time with our pooches! Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be able to live long enough for our dogs’ lifespans too!
824 words•4517 characters •9th and 10th grade
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What We Can Learn From Our Dogs About the Importance of Long-Term Thinking
