In response to some unexpected expenses, I had not choice but to focus my energies on making money. I took on jobs that I did not necessarily want but took them on with my old fashioned work ethic. Between working additional hours and dealing with our difficult winter, I lacked the mental and emotional energy to write anything of value.
At the same time, my motivation waned as this site is flooded with spam comments. Many of these clearly come from someone who’s first language is not English. One comment was “I am slightly certain that I will return to this site.” My favorite is “Wow, with a cool dry wit like that, you could be an action hero.”. All I could do was laugh before hitting the delete button.
This weekend two things happened that are catalysts for change. First, I got a lovely email from someone who has perused this site and really liked it. This thoughtful correspondence referenced things on this site and offered me encouragement to continue. Unlike the spam which is 100% self motivated, this email was not asking for anything, it was just a nice thing. The email made my day and bolstered my motivation.
The other cool thing that happened was in person. West and I had given a demo at the Illinois Lions annual meeting. The presenter following me was part of a new organization that train Diabetic Alert Dogs, DADS for short. I was very impressed and eagerly listened, learning new things.
After the presentations concluded, many people approached me to shake my hand and tell me how much they enjoyed my demo. Often people approach me to meet the puppy I am working with but on this occasion it was to shake my hand. I was touched by this show of respect. The members from the Diabetic Alert Dog program were some who came to speak with me. We were equally impressed with each other and will be following up to learn more about our respective organizations. I’m motivated to learn and then pass on this information in a future blog.
I do the things I do for valid reasons and do not need recognition, but it sure is nice. In retrospect, maybe I do need a little bit of it now and again. It certainly has given me a boost.
This is not a plea for allocates. Forced compliments would be false. However, if in your day to day, someone impresses you, why not let them know. As I said in the demo while explaining how we use praise for dog training, praise is free, has no calories and you always have some with you.
All the Best,
Valerie