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I often use Ace as an example of someone who is happy because he pretty much gets to do what he wants all day, every day. This mutt goes for a walk or run every morning, gets to play at a park several times a week and goes to agility class. He also takes at least three naps a day wherever he feels like it and goes on the occasional backpacking trip.

I know so many people who are not doing what they love because their job takes up so much time, or they are stuck in a routine: Get up, go to work, come home, crash on couch, go to bed. I know it’s hard to break a habit or to start a new one, that’s why I do 30-day challenges. But it shouldn’t be so hard to start doing something you love. All you have to do is stop doing what you don’t love to make time for what you should be doing.

I love writing, so I started a blog. Now I write every day on my blog and for other companies and web sites.

I love helping animals, so I started a dog running business to help people’s pets get more exercise. I also volunteer to run dogs at a shelter. Running with a shelter dog is rewarding because I know for some dogs, that run is the highlight of their week.

After thinking about it for more than a year, I quit my office job so I could spend more time doing what I love, helping dogs, writing and editing. Quitting your job might seem extreme (I know, because it took me almost two years to do it), but you don’t have to quit your job right away. Just know that the longer you stay at a job that is “OK,” the more you are putting off and ignoring what you love.

Besides quitting your job and making an entire career change, there are other ways to make time for what is important to you outside of your job. Most people I know watch at least two hours of TV every day. What could you do with that time if you watched no TV? What if you stopped checking your email every half-hour and talked to your family more or did something else you’ve been putting off like reading a book, taking your dog for a long walk or meeting a friend for coffee. Maybe you could use that time to actually figure out what it is you want to do.

I recommend you do one thing today that will make you happy, and only you know what that is. Maybe it’s meeting your best friend at a park to play soccer, planning a trip, signing up for some volunteering or making a list of what you need to do in order to quit your current job.

Our dogs don’t have the ability to plan for the future or to decide specifically what changes they want in life. Humans on the other hand can do whatever we want and we still choose to do things that make us unhappy. Take some advice from your dog. She knows life is too short to be wasted.

(Image from all-animals.blogspot.com)

Many of the best athletes visualize their performances before they compete. When I was a competitive swimmer, I was trained to close my eyes and visualize an entire race, imagining a perfect start, every breath, stroke and turn, and finally a perfect finish.

Have you ever done something like this? Maybe you prepared for a meeting by rehearsing it in your mind, the things you wanted to say, the questions that might be asked. Maybe you visualized ahead of time how it would go when you met your boyfriend’s parents for the first time or had a job interview. I visualize how I want my dog to respond to my voice and hand signals and how his training will be nearly perfected after putting in the necessary time. Visualization is a valuable way to prepare for the future by planning how you want something to go.

But what about your life’s vision?

I am currently listening to the audio book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. I have written goals before, but have never sat down and really thought about my personal life mission, which goes beyond writing, imagining and accomplishing goals. Covey describes a personal mission statement as a way of keeping your vision and values before you, helping you to integrate those values into your everyday life. It is a way of “beginning with the end in mind.”

Think about it, all successful businesses and organizations have well thought out mission statements. For example the Fargo-Moorhead Humane Society’s mission statement, according to its web site says, “Our Mission is to care for, protect and place animals for adoption in life long homes, and to prevent cruelty to animals by educating our community in the proper and humane care of all animals.”           

Weaker, less organized groups don’t have a mission statement at all, or they just don’t take their mission statement seriously. Shouldn’t every person have a personal mission statement in order to be successful, balanced and fulfilled? And I’m not talking about a mission statement for your career or resume. I’m talking about a life’s mission statement, something that should include your career but not be centered around any one part of your life.

To me, this personal mission statement should help me accomplish my goals and dreams, focus on where I want to go and how I will interact with others. It should be a basis for my decisions and actions, but also something living, that I am able to modify as I change and grow throughout life.

It shouldn’t be that hard to recognize my own purpose (I believe purpose and mission are interchangeable), but writing my own mission statement seems like a very difficult task, something I have never forced myself to think about before. It will likely include my gift for helping animals, using writing to make a difference, traveling and exploring the world and spending quality time with friends and family. I am nowhere near the point of sharing my mission statement. That is my goal for this week, to take the time to realize my own purpose. I hope you do the same.

(Some of you may have noticed my Saturday posts are often loosely related or unrelated to dogs.)

(Image from cottagedaily.com)

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My mutt loves me no matter what. And he’s not afraid to show it, running to the door to see me even if I have been gone for three minutes to take out the trash. If only we could love ourselves like that, see ourselves for who we are and not just what we look like.

The “anorexic syndrome” of feeling fat, not good enough, not pretty enough affects more than just teenage and preteen girls. I do not know one woman who is totally comfortable with her body, myself included.

Going without TV in my apartment for almost two years has made me more aware. When I see stick-thin women on TV prancing around in barely any clothes, I notice. I notice the billboards and the magazine ads, the breast implants, Botox and celebrity women with “perfect” bodies. Did you know that nearly all celebrity women schedule their tummy tucks and C-sections in the same operation? I can’t say I blame them.

But the worst part is we let this falsehood get to us. I let it get to me. I compare myself to 5′ 11″ and 110-pound models. I work out more than I need to. I feel bad if I run two miles instead of three. I don’t deprive myself of chocolate, carbs or eating out, but I watch what I eat. Closely. I know when I’ve gained or lost two pounds.

And we all fall into this same trap, judging ourselves and others only by our appearances.

The scary thing is, most of us are so accustomed to these images, we lose touch with what normal, or even beautiful, is. I had to set myself apart (eliminate almost all TV watching) in order to become more aware. And it’s not just women who are victim to this. The male models in magazines are just as bad, not an ounce of fat, not a wrinkle, barely any body hair. Can we say Photoshop?

My boyfriend said something to me today that I will rephrase, because it applies to you as well:

You are HOT, but you are also a lot of other things too. Smart, Funny, Adventurous, Fun and many more.

Remember that. You are beautiful. Creative. Strong. Competitive. Intellectual. Brave. Important. Admired. Loved. A best friend.

Really, it’s OK to trust your dog on this one.

(Image from coj.net)