Problems in life come in different shapes and sizes, and you can try to solve them in many different ways. Nevertheless, there is one definite way to fix any problem you may have. April Shprintz is here to discuss how you can do this and gain a better perspective of your struggles in life.
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The #1 Way To Fix ANY Problem
Training My Dog Cowboy
I am so glad you’re here. The thing that I love the most about mindset is that I don’t just live it, teach it, and share it with people. I am constantly learning and relearning it. I have such a great example of that for you. It is also going to tell you the number one way to fix any problem. I don’t care what your problem is because this was such a good reminder. I don’t know if you saw the picture in this episode, but that absolutely adorable Shih Tzu is my dog, Cowboy. He is 8 pounds of absolutely adorable, friendly, everyone loves him-ness. He brings me so much joy.
Lately, he’s been a little bit of an asshole. What I mean is barking at me when I’m trying to do work, demanding that he get played with, being rude to the older, bigger dog that’s my friend’s dog, and generally acting like a teenager. He is rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. He’s eighteen months old, so it makes sense. I had an advisor whom I trust who said, “April, you need to take him to training. He’s so cute and little that you’re letting him get away with behaviors you wouldn’t let a bigger dog get away with.”
I was like, “That makes sense. He’s a problem. I got to take him to training.” I go to training. When I go there, I said, “I think this is me. I’m not sure, but I think this is me. It is not a him-problem. It’s a me-problem.” I went to this big military dog training facility where they train aggressive, mean, whatever dogs. Here’s this tiny little Shih Tzu with his wagging little tail. I felt like they could give me some stellar advice, and they did. Their advice was, “Yes, totally you. Ninety-five percent of dog problems are with the owner.” I’m like, “Cool.”
They’re asking me about his routine. They’re asking how I train him. They’re asking how I do these things. The answer is, “Not at all. No, I don’t. I am lazy.” In one hour, they gave me a series of things to do with him, which I felt very confident about. I went home and started doing it the next day. Within a day and a half, he was a different dog, like an angel. He was so good that I knew that I was 100% the issue. I had to take full ownership of that. He was never misbehaving.
No matter what problem we have in life, the number one way to fix it is to look in the mirror and ask yourself how you have contributed to it. Share on XHe was behaving the way I had shown him was okay. It made me think about the fact that no matter what problem we have in life, the number one way to fix it is to look in the mirror and say, “How have I contributed to this?” In the case of Cowboy, I would get lazy, not train him, not be disciplined, get busy and distracted, and not give him the time and attention he deserved. He would then demand it, and then I would give it to him to shut him up. Any of you who are parents have probably done this with your kids at times of high stress. I was doing it way too often.
Assume The Problem Is You
The great thing was that I being the problem was amazing because that meant I could correct it. I could fix it easily and simply because I can’t control a dog that easily, but I can absolutely control myself. The same thing goes for the entire world. The next time you have some big problem and someone, something, or some animal is your issue, the answer is this. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “How could I be causing this?” Chances are you’re going to have a much quicker answer that you’re going to be able to implement right away and fix your issue.
By the way, if your ego is telling you, “It’s not me, it’s them,” that’s because owning something is freaking difficult. It sucks to find out that the majority of our issues are self-created. The moment you do, that’s when you have serious power in your life because you have the power to make it better. If you have to rely on other people and outside situations that you don’t have control over, then you’re a victim of every situation. Do the scary thing. Assume the problem is you, and then decide how you can fix it. I promise you, it won’t just change your issue. That mindset shift will change your life. Here’s to your success.
