Resisting temptation actually can feel GOOD!

Want to get better results in every area of your life NOW? Well as your personal Life Coach I'm going to show you how, for free, with just one simple piece of advice you can apply to any situation...

Dogs know a lot about immediate gratification. If it's there and we want it, then we usually just go for it. And sometimes that's a good thing.

BUT sometimes resisting temptation can actually feel good. And even more importantly, it can bring you those results you want! My younger brother Bert is a slow learner. To be fair, he's still just a puppy! Sometimes he can resist immediate gratification, but often it wins out. And that has bigger consequences in his life.

Down here on the farm, if Mum and Dad go out, they know they can leave me with access to the house, and leave food on the bench and it will still be here when they get back. So I get certain priviledges because they TRUST me, and my actions have earned that trust. I often get a tasty reward for being able to NOT eat that defrosting roast, or the freshly baked cake that is cooling on the rack while they are gone.

Bert is another story. They know if they leave the house open and tasty treats around, then Bert will avail himself of them, even if he waits for a while trying to be good before he finally caves in. They don't TRUST him yet, so they have to put him on a chain, or lock him out of the house.

If Bert DOES eat something that he stole off the bench he eats it and it tastes good. But pretty soon he starts to feel bad. And by the time Mum and Dad get home he is worried and slinky down low with flat ears and sad eyes. He doesn't feel good anymore and he wishes he could reverse time and resist that temptation. Then he usually gets in trouble and has to go outside and suffer the consequences of sneaking food.

Learning: Are you attempting to lose weight, wanting to exercise, needing to get an assignment done or a task that you don't enjoy? Or is it something even more important than that, where you can't even get started? What is tempting you right now? I bet it's something that would derail TRUST in yourself, or TRUST from others. Even though you might want to succumb to the temptation of not exercising, or eating chocolate, or procrastinating, I can guarantee that if you can resist temptation, your outcomes will be a whole lot brighter, and you'll FEEL WAY BETTER THAN IF YOU'D GIVEN IN AND DONE THE THING YOU NEEDED TO RESIST. And the secret to all of this is that the more you can resist those temptations, the stronger you become, the easier it gets, and the happier you feel. Go try it - you'll see that I'm right!
Keep Smiling,
Charlie xx
xx

Taking Advantage of Opportunities!

We dogs have a great way of making decisions.

• Does it work for us?
• Will it feel/taste good?
• Is it calling our name?
• Will we feel fear or pain?

Let me run you through them. They might work for you.

Does it work for us? I usually ask myself a few quick questions or do a couple of speedy image visualisations of me having/doing the thing here. EG: Will I be more comfortable on the lounge? Can I get outside to lie in the sun right now? Is it better playing with Bert's stick AND my ball while Bert has none? (Bert is the little new dog - I have to show him who is boss - therefore all of these actions that assert my superiority are noble!) Will I get caught - or should I just worry about the consequences later.

Will it feel/taste good? Once again my imagination is at work (and often my mouth is salivating already) What will it feel like lying in the sun? What do those biscuits left lying on the coffee table taste like? What will it be like if Dad gives me a big pat and love-up if I interrupt him while he's at the computer?

Is it calling our name? When the Universe is guiding you it can speak in a whisper, a song, or even a shout. I can here that food packet rustling in the kitchen from upstairs here in the office! Did someone pick up the car keys? Humans, pay attention! Opportunities are everywhere.

Will I feel fear or pain? If it's only a little bit of pain or fear I can work with that. Sometimes, through experience I KNOW that the pain outweighs the pleasure. It's just not worth the pain if I eat the family's defrosting meat off the sideboard, especially if it's the Christmas Roast... Pain can be a great teacher! And dogs are not great fans of fear. Give us a comfy couch any day.

BUT pain can easily be overridden by love. Fear can be overridden by trust, love and rewards. If I'm scared and my human Dad is with me and he encourages me, then I'll keep going. If I'm learning something hard or a bit scarey (like when I first started climbing stairs) then praise, food and big pats teamed with an encouraging voice will get me there. If someone threatens my family, my home or even my brother Bert I forget the fear or possible pain, because I'm here to protect what I love.

Learning: There are opportunities everywhere! Visualising what you want helps you know if you really do want it. And listen to the Universe. It really is guiding you. It's good to be decisive or you might loose the opportunity - IE if I don't get on the couch pretty quick Bert will! Pain and Fear need to be understood because most times you can work through them, and the rewards will be worth it.

It's all about the Eyes!

Some wise human said that eyes are the window of the soul. We dogs have known that for years. One of the best ways to communicate is with your eyes.

Step One: Watch the eyes of the person you are studying. Are they shiny or dull? Do they have life? Stillness? An emotion you can name?

Step Two: What do these eyes focus on? Something here, or something far away, perhaps invisible to other eyes?

Step Three: Can you catch these eyes with your own, and have the person look at you? If you can, be non-threatening. That builds trust. Make your own eyes soft, with a hint of smiling. Soft eyes are always best. You do this by putting love and care behind them. Then it shines through. You don't need to share the same spoken language. Love is a universal language.

Learning: You can learn a lot by looking into the eyes of someone. You don't need words for this at all. In fact, words usually get in the way. Love, openness and awareness help this process immensely.

Going Nuts! It's sometimes good...

Charlie Phillips here - giving you some free life coaching.
Let me ask you a few questions.

1. Are you conservative by nature?
2. Are you governed by a strict routine?
3. Are you responsible?
4. Maybe even a little over-responsible?
5. Are you scheduled down to the last minute of your day?
6. Are you really anxious about something? (or everything?)
7. Are you (gulp) a control freak?

This is what dogs know... Being stitched up tight all the time is not good for you. Sometimes you really do need to just have a bit of wild crazy fun. But what's stopping you? The only thing that stops dogs occasionally breaking out is being literally chained up on a short leash, or massive fear. Hmm. Sounds like some humans I know. Stuck, stuck, stuck.

But cutting loose gets everything flowing. I call it going nuts! When I get like this my humans call me The Nutsilator! Giving in to that feeling and going a bit crazy helps the Universe move us out of stuckness, and it FEELS great! Sometimes I cut loose by running around the house jumping on and off all the furniture. Sometimes I just start howling and dancing around to the radio. Ocassionally I just ambush my owners, jump all over them and tell them how much, how really really much I love them. No special reason. It just feels good.

Then when I'm done I feel relaxed, joyful and I can't stop smiling. That small episode of craziness has often inspired me to do some of my best connecting, thinking, dreaming or problem solving. Or at least I've slept well!

So, how can you go a little nuts? Can you jump around the lounge room? Go out with friends and sing karaoke or dance like a wild thing? Walk down the street smiling and saying hello to EVERYONE? Crank up the car stereo and belt out a song or two with the windows down?

Let me know what works for you. And I'm always here if you need to ask me a question. Just post a comment, or email my secretary Miss Whimsey misswhimsey@gmail.com The dog knows. We'll get you sorted! Have fun. Charlie xx

Learning: When we have to massively control everything, or we are frightened of breaking free or trying something different, it shows that we don't trust the Universe enough to take care of us. And often we don't feel worthy enough or lovable enough for the Universe to even notice, let alone allow good things to happen in our lives. RELAX. You are well loved. Think good thoughts and trust. Life is not meant to be hard all the time. Wonder is right here. Just open your eyes!