Work/life lessons from my cat

I was recently asked to write an article for my company’s Facebook social media page. Now if I’m honest, I don’t spend a lot of time on Facebook so I wanted to make sure my contribution wasn't something that was too “preachy” but was something people could relate to.

I asked the question of our Comms team, “what type of thing do you want” and the answer I got back was “how about a bio on Ernie”. That’s my cat by the way. So, I guess it’s true what they say, if you ask a silly question, you are likely to get a silly answer ??. But I did go away, think, and reflect on the response I had got from them.

I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time working from home, and that means when Ernie is awake (that’s about 10% of the time by the way!), he is someone I share a home office space with. So, I asked myself, has working alongside Ernie taught me anything I can use day to day? And you know what, I think there might be.

·??????When in doubt, he keeps a straight face – Cats rarely change their expression or show lots of emotion. That’s one reason they act and look so dignified (it also helps to hide what he is really thinking!).

·??????Even when things are difficult, keep your chin up – Ernie walks around like the world adores him, he is confident in his positivity and he doesn’t have time to worry about things that may never happen. To quote a certain book, he never sweats the small stuff.

·??????He doesn’t let his past mistakes hold him back – I once saw him fall into next doors fishpond trying to help himself to their Koi Carp. He didn’t let one bad experience of getting wet hold him back, he still tries “fishing” on a regular basis, talk about never giving up! He knows persistence wins through, and one day he will get that fish (and remove me from next door’s Christmas card list in the process).

·??????He has an agenda and plans for the important things – Ernie’s day never involves just one thing. There is a time for play, (always) time for a rest, a time to prowl around outside and a designated time to eat, in fact you could set your watch by his teatime.

·??????He takes time for play and relaxation – In cat years Ernie is 56 years old, and yet he can still find time to run around the house at a hundred miles an hour with a cloth mouse full of catnip hanging out of his mouth, it helps to keep him fit, healthy and his imagination helps him keep in touch with his inner kitten.

·??????Fighting is always his last resort – Oh sure, he can growl at the other cats in our street and chase them out of our garden, but he knows you can waste energy fighting with someone else and potentially get hurt in the process. He stands his ground, makes a point but he never bears a grudge, he just moves on.

Thinking about it now, maybe this wasn’t such a silly idea, maybe there is something here we can all learn from Ernie after all.

Do you share your workspace with a pet? Do they contribute to your working day? Any thing you have learnt from them while spending time at home during the pandemic?

Let me know. In the meantime have a great day :-)