Pooches Pass Right By Poopy Thoughts And Are 100% Happier For It. Are You Suffering Needlessly?

 

Today, April tells an inspiring, heartwarming story of a priceless mindset lesson she learned from a most unusual teacher, her dog, Cowboy. If we followed Cowboy’s example, we’d all be happier, more joyful, and equipped with a stronger, more resilient mindset. Do you want to hear how becoming more like a dog can improve your life? Then tune into episode 20 of the Winning Mindset Mastery Podcast!

—

Listen to the podcast here

 

Pooches Pass Right By Poopy Thoughts And Are 100% Happier For It. Are You Suffering Needlessly?

My dog, Cowboy, is easily one of the biggest sources of joy in my life and the biggest reminders of joy as well. He has been with me for many years. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He taught me one of the most important things about mindset several years ago when I found out that he had cancer. Cowboy was always active, still is, and hurt himself jumping off of something way higher than he should have been jumping off of. He was ten years old and we only went to the vet because he’d sprained his paw and he was having a hard time walking and I wanted to see what they could do for him.

As soon as she started feeling his body, she was spending a lot more time on his chest and she said, “We’ll address what’s going on with this paw, but I’m concerned about this mass on his chest.” I had noticed the mass, but if you have an older dog, you’ve probably experienced these fatty masses, little things on him that weren’t anything. When this one popped up, I didn’t pay as much attention to it as I should have. I do regret that because I had gone through so many that I’d had tested and they hadn’t been anything. I didn’t pay attention.

She tested this one. She found out immediately that it was cancer and we went in and had surgery that very day. He had a large mass on his chest removed. I was beside myself because this is my best friend and he was in my care. I don’t know how he’s going to do. The vet shared something impressive and insightful with me. She said, “April, don’t worry. We’ve got treatment for him. We did catch it early and dogs respond far better to cancer treatment than humans.

I thought, “Why is that? Is it the way their bodies are made up? Is it that they’re smaller? What is it?” She said, “The only thing I can tell you is that as soon as Cowboy isn’t hurting from having the surgery anymore, he’s going to forget that he had surgery and he’s not going to know that he’s sick.” She added that scientific or not, the fact that they are able to stay in great headspace, not get down and upset, and focus on the fact that they are sick and possibly dying seems to make an incredible difference for them.

 

Let’s think about that with our mindset. Cowboy went home and after he was done being in pain from having this big cut on his chest, he was running around, playing with his toys, wearing this huge bandage, and living his life. Things were back to normal for him. He was focused on the things that he loved, playing with his toys, going to the dog park, going for walks, and doing things with me.

It was an incredible lesson to watch him not only heal in those six months and be declared cancer-free but in the years since, not have any health issues whatsoever. I realized that the biggest part of that is that dogs chase their joy. They find the things that matter the most to them and that’s what they put their attention on. It was incredible learning for me because they don’t waste any time on those thoughts that don’t serve them.

 

The lesson here that we can take and implement in our life is what are those other things that we can focus on when we have a health, financial, work, or relationship challenge? Whatever it is, what are those things that we can spend our time doing that bring us enough joy that they will take us out of that thought process long enough for us to either reframe it for ourselves or keep ourselves in a good mental state so that we can get closer and closer to the things that we want and resolving those issues that we’re experiencing?

I encourage you to find those few things. For everybody, these are going to be different. For me, my top three things that I love to do, I love to help someone. The best way that I can take my focus off myself and what is happening with me if I am not in the place that I want to be in is to help someone else. It takes my focus outward instead of inward and I get a huge amount of joy from helping someone else get something that they want.

The second one, I’ve already mentioned is the dog. I love doing anything with Cowboy because he experiences everything with such joy. Playing with children is the same way. Anytime you play with a kid and they’re so in the moment and they love discovering things, it’s a wonderful way to transport yourself into a good place regardless of what is going on.

For me, another thing that makes a huge difference and helps me get my mind off of those things that I don’t want to focus on is any type of movement or exercise. It can be a class, going to the gym, working out, or anything that requires enough effort for me physically that I can also think about whatever’s bugging me. Usually, it has to be something that’s somewhat strenuous, but those things work for me.

For other people, they like to go and practice a hobby that gives them a lot of joy. They spend some time with friends talking about things other than what’s going on. Whatever it is for you, make a list of it and start practicing it. When you are trying to get away from things that are bringing you down, focus on the things that you do enjoy doing and that you do get joy from. Those things are going to make all the difference for you.

When you are trying to get away from things that are bringing you down, focus on the things that you do enjoy doing and that you get joy from. Those things are going to make all the difference for you. Share on X

What I mean by make all the difference is if you never master reframing, if you never get to the place where you cannot help but think about the things that are bothering you, mastering the ability to then switch your focus to something you enjoy will make a tremendous amount of difference for you. It will not matter that you haven’t been able to master the other two.

 

Spoiler alert, when you get good at this, it will make it that much easier for you to master the other techniques as well. Make that list of the three things that you can focus on when you’re in a situation that you need to not be thinking about and try them out. I want to hear from you. Go to the website. There’s a place for you to have a private conversation with me at the very bottom.

It is WinningMindsetMasteryPodcast.com. Go to Ask April at the very bottom of the page. While you’re there, don’t forget to get a free gift from me, which is your Mindset Accelerator. It has three very simple steps to double your wins in less than seven days and you’ll find it something that is super useful for you in the short-term. If you continue to use it over the long term, it will only get better and better. Here’s to your success.