2016 is past and 2017 is here. Â That’s a fact. People often times debate whether or not to set New Year’s resolutions. Â Those who don’t, say they don’t keep them so why set them and cause themselves undue stress? Those who set resolutions and keep them are ones who not only decided on a goal but also made the concrete choices in accomplishing their goal. Â They set out action steps to accomplish the goal with timelines and accountability, eliminated opportunities to not strive toward the goal, and relished in the moments of their success.
Many people decide they want to lose weight as a New Year’s Resolution. Tony Robbins an internationally known best-selling author and Life and Business Strategist, asks an important question, have they really made that “should” be a “must” goal? If it’s a “should”, it won’t happen. If it’s a “must”, it will.
If it’s a “must”, they will be committed to it’s end goal, accomplish action steps to the goal, be able to avoid temptations because they now identify themselves with being a slimmer and healthier person, and they will associate pleasant experiences with their accomplishments. Â If instead, they decide to go on a “diet”, it’s an event and not a lifestyle change.
The same is true with dog training. If we want to have a more rewarding life with our dogs and be able to take our dogs to more fun places, we have to identify the goal as a lifestyle change. We have to change it from a “should” to a “must”. To do that one needs to personalize the passion behind their goal and eliminate things that may defer the goal. For example, time with family may prevent people from following their goal of training the dog to a certain level of dog obedience or sport accomplishment. But if they are able to involve their family (even in little ways), it would accomplish both; quality time with family and training the dog.
Bart Bellon an internationally acclaimed dog trainer and coach who created the NePoPo® modern system of dog training, introduced me to the book, “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle. In it, Coyle investigates why there are certain geographical areas of hot bed talent. He explains that people aren’t just born with talent but more so it arises from an internalized passion which he describes as the “ignition”. The needed skills for high performance are deliberately practiced, which he calls “deep practice”. This ignition and deep practice not only hones a person’s skill but also develops Myelin connections resulting in increased muscle memory where one is able to perform better without thought.  For deep practice to occur, one looks at the overall skill to be learned, breaks it down into chunks of learning to be memorized separately and later put back together while practicing the skill slowly so that errors can be detected and corrected. In the end, the skill is fluid and looks flawless.
The benefits of attaining the end goal can be elusive if people don’t enjoy the journey toward the goal. Robbins states, consider Astronauts who have been to the moon. What is left for them after returning home and the ticket fanfare dies down if they haven’t considered their next great accomplishment? And, what about former U.S. Presidents including President Barack Obama who will complete his eight year term this month? Whether you support his politics or not, what is next for him now that he has completed the ultimate goal in politics? I’m sure he has future goals for himself but those who don’t, face depression if they didn’t enjoy the journey and continually create future possibilities for themselves.
To have a rewarding 2017 with your dog:
- Decide what is a “must” for you and your dog. This provides the necessary ignition.
- Internalize the “must” as a lifestyle change rather than a temporary event.
- Set action steps to accomplish the goal followed by “deep practice”
- Associate pleasant experiences and rewards for your continual accomplishments
- Enjoy the journey with your dog rather than basing your happiness on the end goal
Those who relish the moments during their journeys live a rich life with their dogs, relationships and for themselves. Â What are your “musts” with your dog? Comment below, I’d love to hear what they are.
If you would like help in accomplishing your dog training “musts”, please contact Michigan Dog Training in Plymouth, Michigan at 734-634-4152.  We will be happy to help you and your dog.
