3 Mindset Lessons From A 14-Year-Old Dog

It’s been a big week at April’s house. Her shih tzu, Cowboy, just turned 14 years old. Even at this age, he’s not taking it easy. He’s running around like a frisky puppy and living large, even though he only weighs 15 lbs. And believe it or not, there is A LOT he can teach us about mindset. In fact, April says Cowboy has taught her more about a winning mindset than “any single person I know.” He was giving her mega-valuable mindset advice before she even understood the importance and value of mindset training. If Cowboy can teach April life-changing mindset lessons, what can he teach us? April shares three specific mindset lessons Cowboy taught her. As you listen to today’s riveting, heartwarming episode, and as you go through life, ask yourself, “What would Cowboy do?” Following his example could help you enjoy more happiness, more financial success, even more health. Here’s to your success!

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3 Mindset Lessons From A 14-Year-Old Dog

Thank you for joining me. It has been a big week around my house. The biggest reason for that is because my sidekick, my chief dog officer, my ride-or-die Shih Tzu, Cowboy, has turned fourteen years old. Let me tell you. He’s not turning fourteen taking naps and taking it easy on his last leg. This guy is just running into the next year of his life. It’s so fitting because he has taught me more about a winning mindset than any single person I know, and I am not exaggerating.

Even before I understood that mindset was mindset and that I was working on having one that worked for me, Cowboy was showing me without me even knowing it. In honor of his birthday, I’m going to share with you his top three mindset lessons. I encourage you to listen up and write these down. It is quite possible that he is better at teaching mindset than I am.

Number one, enjoy the moment. If you think about it, dogs and children do this so much better than we do. What would our life be like if we enjoyed anything or even 1/4 of the things that we experience like the way that dogs enjoy playing fetch, going to the dog park, and having a meal? Cowboy lives for everything that he experiences in his life. Every walk is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Every time I walk through the door to come home, it’s the best day he is ever had. Every meal is his best and favorite meal except for the next one that he’s going to have.

 

He also taught me how to just be. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen this cartoon where you see a man and a dog where they’re sitting on the end of a dock together. You see that the man is thinking about so many different things, what he has to do tomorrow, paying bills, calling the office, what he should be doing at home, and lists and lists of things, and then you see the thought bubble above the dog’s head. The dog is thinking about sitting on the dock with the man. He’s just there. That’s Cowboy. He’s great at just being. He has taught me to slow down, go to the park, sit and watch the people and enjoy all of the things that are amazing about life. Living in the moment is his number one.

Number two mindset lesson from Cowboy is persistence rules. You could also call this consistency, but I have never seen a person or animal go after something they want with the same persistence that Cowboy does. There’s a reason there’s that phrase. It’s like, “A dog on a bone.” When he has decided that he wants something from me, from a stranger, from another dog, whether it’s to get food, go outside, be played with, whatever it is, he goes after it with a determination that flabbergasted me. He’s not rude or mean. He’s just persistent, and he gets what he wants.

I could count on one hand how many times in five years Cowboy hasn’t ended up getting what he wanted. Maybe not right then, but he got it. I take that lesson to heart because, at the end of the day, there isn’t a single dream that any one of us has that can’t be accomplished with consistent persistence. It may not happen now, it may not happen this 2023, but you can make it happen.

There isn't a single dream that any one of us has that can't be accomplished with consistent persistence. Share on X

Cowboy’s mindset lesson number three, ignore the nonsense. I share with you all the time that we get what we focus on. Sometimes, you can’t stop focusing on something that you don’t want unless you ignore it and focus on something else. Cowboy has been fantastic at this since the beginning, whether he’s ignoring me, telling him to come to do something, whether he’s ignoring a dog at the dog park that he doesn’t particularly like, or a person that he doesn’t like, or food that he doesn’t want to eat, he has this way of not paying attention to something that he doesn’t have interest in. That contributes to this super happy, mellow, and cool personality.

 

He’s a little yippy dog by size, about 15 pounds, so he should be that little dog that’s naughty, but he isn’t. He’s very chill and he has this attitude of, “Yes, this is for me. No, I don’t even want to pay any attention to that.” It works exceptionally well for him. That’s something that we can all use in our day-to-day life too. If you think of the fact that if it’s bothering you, if it’s something that you don’t want to deal with, and if you can find a way to just push it out of your mind, you’re going to be so much happier.

 

We can learn so many lessons from kids and dogs this way. Cowboy has led an incredible life. He inspires me every day. I’m talking about the dog here that, at age ten, got cancer and was treated for it, and within 2 or 3 months, had better healthier labs than he did before he had cancer. The idea that your mindset can contribute not only to your happiness and not only to your financial success, but to your overall health and well-being is exemplified in examples like that. In this episode, I want you to ask yourself when you’re dealing with things, “What would Cowboy do?” Here’s to your success.