“There is a good dog and a bad dog fighting within each of us. The one that is going to win is the one we feed the most” – Chinese Proverb
As the wonderful quote above reminds us, we are in control of our destiny, our character, and our lives. We’re in the driver’s seat – not our spouse, our parents, our children, our neighbors, our co-workers, our favorite self help authors… we’re in control. Always have been. Always will be.
It all comes down to choices. The good, old-fashioned choices we make every day. When we blow up at our spouse for a comment that rubs us the wrong way or when we fail to budget our money or time like we know we should – we make poor choices and these poor choices always have a price tag attached.
I don’t like using myself for positive examples, simply because I’m as gloriously flawed as anyone. I have to confront these flaws on a daily basis, so I know all too well that I don’t make a good example for too many things! However, I did make a smart move yesterday. My husband came home during the day just for a pit stop before heading back to work. It was obvious from his demeanor, expression, voice, and black cloud following directly over his head that his day was going horrendously. It would have been easy to have gotten annoyed with him for the grumpy karma he came and dumped into the house within those 10 minutes (!!!) and I would have been well within my rights to have said, “Buddy, just go back where you came from!” But I actually outdid myself.
As soon as he took his grumbling self and little black cloud back to work, I went to the store and got all the ingredients I needed to make one of his favorite meals. I’d actually had something else planned (and something that I already had the ingredients for) but I just thought, “If his day’s going this badly, I think he’d really appreciate stew and yeast rolls for supper.”
So, off I went.
He definitely did appreciate the meal and his mood improved greatly. It made me feel good to make him happier but it also made me feel good to outsmart myself. The temptation was there to make the bad choice but I kicked it to the curb and found the right choice.
How much better would my finances be if I did that every time I’m tempted to overspend?!?! How much better would my health be and how much better would my Levi’s fit if I made the right choices at the table or in the restaurant?!?!
Choices. Make the better choice and better things happen. Feed the good dog and he grows strong and healthy. Feed the bad dog and he gets the upper hand. Honestly, the choice is clear.
That short quote says it all!
Yes, this is so true. It all boils down to choices and more choices. What we believed most are usually the ones that get our attention, focus and power.
its was interesting for me to read your blog. how to know if my dog is good or bad?
hey, i have a dog (collie x st. bernard) and i love her so much! Her name is Jessie and she is more of a collie than a st bernard.. regardless, she’s still our favorite dog.
I have read this blog a while ago. I enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing,keep posting.
Hmm … I do need both my good and bad dog. Good comforts, makes things better for everyone. Bad reminds me of self preservation.
I liked how the thoughts and the insights of this article is well put together
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Thanks for this nice article. Will be sure to share this.
I liked how the thoughts and the insights of this article is well put together
and well-written. Hope to see more of this soon. Glad to stumble upon such a helpful article!