What do dogs and business have in common? (Stick with me – it does make sense)
Okay, who here is a dog lover? I have 3 large dogs that I adore (some days more than my kids – but don’t tell the kids that), I take them up mountains, or down to the lake to play at least twice a day, and I laugh at their passion, enthusiasm and also the fact that they love frozen goose poo! (I call them goosesicles). My dogs get attention, I take them into the office with me, feed them well, get them big yummy bones and give them HUGE love. They know I am there for them and they are loved. They also know they are separate from me and I don’t view them as extensions of myself, I can just revel in them being their own quirky personalities and not taking stuff they do (such as humping other dogs on a walk) personally.
Now let’s run a hypothetical – say for a day or two, or days on end as I get up in the morning I look at the dogs, at the snow outside and because I’m not “feeling it” I decide not to take them for a gorgeous explore up the mountain, let alone be buggered enough to open the door and put them outside. As to feeding? Sigh, that takes effort and I just don’t want to right now and I have other stuff to do, busy stuff that’s super important, like window shopping or napping or watching another episode of Downton Abbey.
What would happen?
Well I would have 3 very pissed off dogs to say the least, and I would also have huge piles of shit to clean up daily! Literally! I wouldn’t be laughing at their goofy antics and there would be no celebration of play. Also, after days of this treatment the dogs would turn away from me as they didn’t feel love, appreciation or attention.
This was how I treated my business last year. I saw it as part of ME and not as its’ own entity, and as such if someone said something negative I would get upset as I saw it as a reflection of me. Some days my business would get energy, other days it would get totally forgotten about as I would get distracted or go and help someone else.
This year I am seeing my business as an entity totally separate from myself and I am seeing it like a DOG. It needs commitment, scheduled time, play time, and it needs attention and love!
Because if I don’t honour my business and do those things then guess what?
I will have huge piles of Shit to clean up! Figuratively and Literally.
So let me ask you this – if your business was a dog, what type of dog would it be? Mine would be a Labbash (hey if we can have Labradoodles – just saying). In other words a combo between a Lab and an Akbash. Thus I get loyalty, playfulness, pack, individuation, size, tenacity and guidance. Now to go buy it some bones!
