Why Your Dog Should Be Your Biggest Motivation

“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” — J. W. Stephens

Anyone who has ever owned a dog will tell you they’re the most generous, loving, kind and overall amazing beings. They see past our flaws and somehow have this amazing ability to see only the best parts of us.

So why is this important?

Imagine this scenario: you come home from work, exhausted. As soon as you walk through the door, though, your dog comes rushing towards you, its tail wagging, its feet jumping up and down like crazy. Eyes shining bright, with nothing but devotion and love.

How did the scene make you feel? For those few minutes at least like you were the best person? The best version of yourself?

Now imagine if you could wholeheartedly agree with the way they perceive you, whenever and no matter the context? Wouldn’t it be great? Wouldn’t it be the most amazing feeling? To recognise yourself as this amazing human your little companion already believes you to be?

Every time my dog (a beautiful Jack Russell terrier girl) cuddles next to my legs to relax, she stares at me lovingly for minutes on end. She looks at me, appreciation and love and happiness radiating from her slowly closing eyes. And I always feel this warmth inside me, this feeling of immense happiness and gratitude for my four-legged buddy.

However, sometimes I can’t help but wonder:

Am I even as good of a person as she thinks I am?

To which I would some days regretfully have to answer with no. Obviously, no one is perfect, but she makes me want to match the way she perceives me. Most of the time, I would have this desire to work towards becoming the person she already thinks I am.

That is why all dog owners, cat owners, animal lovers should strive to become these people that already exist in their little eyes. To be better, friendlier, kinder, happier, more active, more compassionate, more accepting of others, more human. To work on becoming these loving people that our animals perceive us to be and essentially that they deserve.

Your dog should be your biggest motivation — for self-growth. It’s important to work on ourselves, on our flaws.

So that when one day your dog looks up to you with those appreciative eyes, you will without a doubt know their eyes truly reflect the person that you are.