Lessons in Being Human
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Wisdom comes from investing the time and effort to grow close to a creature who cannot speak, write or understand most of what you say. Doing so requires you to observe and feel, rather than talk and think.
Today, I'm talking about dogs, but you can learn similar lessons from many other animals.
Stetson is a rescue from Texas who was brought here to Bend, Oregon. He's about one and appears to have been a stray after living for a time with someone... he knew a few commands and was house-trained when we got him.
We are his foster (i.e. temporary) caregivers while Street Dog Hero searches for his forever home. Since we travel extensively, we have chosen to foster dogs rather than adopt one and abandon it for long stretches.
He has had a few eccentric behaviors, all of which are falling away as I come to understand him better.
Stetson wants two things:
1.) Play with me
2.) Love me
It's taken a few weeks for me to grasp that every over-the-top behavior he displayed was rooted in his desire to play with you and be loved.
Guess what? People are no different.
I can name ten incredibly successful entrepreneurs and leaders whose take-no-prisoners mindset is rooted in their desire to play with you and be loved.
One difference: humans hide this fact. Dogs don't.
In humans, these two desires—if you don't understand them—can be maddening:
When Stetson first arrived in our house, he would:
It turns out that the more we play with Stetson and show him love, the faster these behaviors disappear.
The moral of this little story is that everyone wants to be seen, accepted, included and loved. Even your boss. Even the people who seem to have more power and money than you.
And, yes, even you.
And me.
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I am an executive coach who doesn't take much of your time or money, but seeks to make a lasting difference in your life. Learn more and set up an introductory call with me at Kasanoff.com .
Chief Copywriting Officer & CEO of CaringMessenger Copywriting/Christ-Centered/Upside-Down Eternal Lens Leadership| Foodie for Fun #YDHTCIA (you don't have to carry it all)
3 小时前Loved this post?? Stetson is a blessing. He’s teaching you, Bruce, and it’s beautiful. My cat was a stray. She’s the queen bee in our household even after 18 years?? She’s so intuitive. Unconditional love??
Investor and Transformative coach
10 小时前Love this analogy. Thanks for sharing.
Bridges and Civil Structures
18 小时前Humans can be very hard to read, understand and comprehend as many like to hide their true self behind a mask, living in fear of judgement by others. If we all do that, where are we headed as a society? We need to be more authentic in our behaviours, displays and actions. Others follow our actions more than the words we speak. We often say things we don't truly mean simply because we are following a certain protocol. People can see through the white lies; they are smarter than we give them credit for. Authentic leadership is lacking in many areas and this leads to mistrust, which breeds low morale and lower engagement. This is often the cause of many misunderstandings and disputes. So, let us fix the underlying issues. Be authentic, honest, trustworthy and drop your ego a notch or two and you'll be happier.
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1 天前Love this, Bruce! It's amazing how many problems can be solved when we take the time to listen and understand.