When life takes you out. bouncing back grief Aug 15, 2023

I am still trying to figure out what I did (or didn't do) last week. What I do know is that I was wholly unproductive after losing my oldest Berner on Monday.

 

The world tells us we must push through our grief - or disappointments - and move on with our lives and obligations. If you still...

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Grief & savoring - so much heart! grief savoring Aug 08, 2023

I'm entering a grief period. Knowing this in advance is weird, but I know it's coming. My 12.5yo Berner is fading, and our days together are finite, so I know what awaits.

 

BUT

 

This story is NOT meant to have you grabbing all the tissues. No! This is about "savoring," a wonderful...

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Are you thinking about your energy? energy mindset Aug 01, 2023

Every once in a while, I get kinda fixated on a concept. Right now, that's our energy as handlers and how it impacts every aspect of our dog sports.

 

Spoiler alert: This week's podcast and the Q-Membership for August are all about energy.

 

Energy is a huge...

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Can you let comparison push you? comparison goals Jul 26, 2023

Lately, the comparison gremlins have been popping up in interesting - and annoying - ways. Sometimes they tell me I'm not succeeding at work; other times, I should be doing more with my dogs. Just yesterday, Facebook suggested a friend because of mutual connections, and I thought, "What...

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Best laid plans. bouncing back mental stamina Jul 19, 2023

 

Every one of us could entertain a campfire crowd of people with tales of how our plans went awry. Memes are devoted to it: You make a plan, and God laughs. Plan is a four-letter word. Anything about the pandemic. My point is that it's a universal experience to have plans fall apart,...

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Handling bullies & toxic peeps with grace & sanity. mindset toxic people Jul 10, 2023

If only we had any control over other people! But we don't, and sometimes people can be downright awful to us and others. It's that yucky part of our sport that we could all do without. And while I wish it were fading away, bad behavior will probably always stick around. Sigh.

 

This is on...

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Mid-year goal refresh. goals Jul 04, 2023

So by now, you probably know I'm obsessed with goal setting. It's more than coming up with goals, rather it's creating a plan to make sure they come to fruition. We all have goals, but we don't all have plans.

{If you're unfamiliar, I have a whole methodology that spurred an online course,...

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Are you being a goldfish? Or an elephant? bouncing back mental skills Jun 27, 2023

I'm going back and re-watching all three seasons of Ted Lasso. (We can discuss my denial that the show ended some other time - haha!) Any-who ... One of the (many) great concepts from the show is Ted's insistence that we should all "be a goldfish."

 

Ted (an American coaching football,...

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Do dog sports ever make you cry? bouncing back resilience Jun 20, 2023

Of course they do! And with good reason, right?

I mean, we cry because our hearts are broken, or we're disappointed, or we're so happy that only tears will do.

Just this past weekend, while walking my dog at an agility trial, I cried out of frustration. I wasn't mad at my dog or even at myself, I...

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Are you still having fun? joy rest Jun 13, 2023

June can be kind of intense, especially in the AKC agility community. 

(For those of you untouched by this madness, June 30th marks the last day to qualify for the Invitational in Orlando in December.)

 

And while many of you are "marked safe" from the craziness of qualifying, we...

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Trouble sticking to a plan? Same. goals plan Jun 06, 2023

Because I know you're on pins and needles wondering how my games-only weekend was with Moxie, I'll share. (heehee)

 

The short answer is that I stuck to my plan, and I hope progress was made (more on the progress in a moment). But as always, there's a little more to the story....

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When a good day breaks your brain. anxiety & fear mindset May 30, 2023

Ever have a really good day and feel less confident as a result? It can happen for a few reasons: 

  • We fear we can't repeat the excellent performance, that it was just a fluke (imposter syndrome).
  • We're afraid we set a new standard that we have to live up to (pressure).
  • We want to...
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