Dogs come in all shapes, colors and sizes. There are the posh types, the ones who come with a pedigree which can only be claimed after a thorough genetic analysis followed by careful match-making arrangements. Then you have the rest, the ‘mutts,’ who see the light of day after some hush-hush, fast and furious random encounter.  Whatever type of dog you come across; they will always be present ready to serve as a guide dog, police dog, guard dog, or just a loyal companion and cute addition to the family unit. If you pay close attention to their behavior, dogs can teach you valuable lessons in the Art of Living.

Dogs are considered man’s best friend and they give their owners undivided attention, companionship, and love each and every day. But, despite this, most dog-related expressions seem to have a negative connotation like in the story below.

A Dog’s Life

If you fall in the category of those who are unhappy with their lot in life, then you will be leading a ‘dog’s life.’ Walking the streets looking defeated and without purpose.  For those who find themselves in that category, the only thing that can cheer them up and get their tail wagging again is if some kind soul offers to get them out of that torpor, take them to the park, get some fresh air, get some exercise, have a run around, give a kick to that torpor and play fetch instead.  A dog’s life has its ups and down. Just make sure the down time don’t last too long. Snap out of it.

If you work in the Corporate world and wants to make it big in the City, then you will learn very quickly (if you are one of those whose mission in life is to go up that Corporate Ladder) that ‘dog- eat-dog.’  But to be successful you will have to ‘work like a dog’, days in and days out and sometimes at night too, there is no way around it.  So, you spend the early years of your adult life doing just that, waking up early, working all hours of the day and night (sometimes), till the day when you become as ‘sick as a dog’, because let’s face it, it is not realistic to expect someone to maintain that kind of rhythm over a long period of time.  So, you take a couple of days off to recover and stay in bed all day not feeling like going out at all as it ‘is raining cats and dogs’ outside.  Still, ‘every dog has its day,  and once back in the office after a couple of days off, you feel re-energized and ready to get back into the swings of things; you rejoice and find solace in the knowledge that your hard work is paying off and is taking you where you really want to be, i.e. on top of the Corporate Ladder.

But once you reach that place up there on top of the Corporate Ladder, you will have to stay alert because there are a lot of people who have a strong desire to take that spot from you.  If you don’t up your game, learn new skills and keep yourself current, you could find yourself fighting for your survival. For the most resilient types, you will be well placed to teach all those ‘newbies’ a lesson in resilience by showing them that ‘you can never teach an old dog new tricks.’  You may have to be ‘meaner than a junkyard dog’ to keep them from taking over that nice spot at the top from you.

Advice From a Dog

To avoid your days being like the story above, you may want to have a conversation with your dog. From their perspective humans are a strange species, they do strange things and seem to get themselves stressed-out about all kind of stuff. 

 I asked my dog Louis for his best advice to humans,  he says:

Work hard, Play Hard,

Pull your weight when requires

When you lost your way, dig deep

Sniff out the right opportunities

Chase out the bad ones

Trust your intuition

Learn new tricks no matter your age

Growl and bark when the situation require desperate measures

Guide the blind souls who cannot see clearly

Celebrate small victories when they come your way

Love what you do

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk

When loves one comes home

Always run to greet them.

This my dear friend, is how a dog lives his life.

Maybe we can learn some new tricks from our canine friends, they have it all figured out!

About the Author

Joanne Reed, the author of ‘This is Your Quest,’ is a lawyer by profession who currently lives in Seoul, South Korea. She is also an entrepreneur, a wife and a mother of two teenage daughters. She was born and raised on the French island of Réunion. She is not an academic, a psychologist or an anthropologist. She is neither a scientist nor an economist. She is an observer. She is a thinker. She is curious about the world and she is curious about people.

Joanne believes that people should live the story they want to tell. It was not her desire to write a piece of fiction, her objective was to write a book that will change people’s lives by exposing them to concepts, philosophies, and ways of thinking that were perhaps not so obvious to them before.

Her own journey started when she decided to put her thoughts onto paper embarking on her own Quest into greater fulfillment, stepping outside her comfort zone, overcoming in the process her fear of the unknown, letting instead her curiosity and sense of adventure show her the way.

Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Joanne believes that writing a book is a great privilege, but it is also a gift. It is first and foremost a gift to herself (because she has a lot of untold stories inside her literally bursting to get out) and it is a gift to the people, as it is her desire to share those stories with the world.

Find and Follow Joanne

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This Is Your Quest

Your Mission: To Experience Happiness Along the Way

Available via Amazon

An exciting journey through history, socio-economic discourse, and philosophical discussion. This book will guide you, using a holistic approach to finding true happiness. It has the potential to change lives, not by giving advice as to how you should lead your life but by exposing you to concepts, philosophies and a way of thinking (for yourself) that may not have been so obvious before.

Providing an abundance of stimulation and enlightenment on several key topics, it breaks happiness down into three parts (Money, Love, and Health). The etymology of the word “happiness” means “living well”. What flows from this is that if you “live well” you will find happiness and the reason most people believe they will be happy if they are wealthy, in love and in good health is that those three things i.e. money, love, and health promote well-being. This trifecta has the power to make us happy when things are going smoothly, but also the ability to make us really miserable when they are not. The Quest for Happiness is something that every single one of us aspires to.

Our Quest for happiness begins by following historical and present-day examples of figures of accomplishment, those who have succeeded in their own Quests. The whole idea is to encourage the reader to have the mindset of an explorer; because explorers are a special type of human being. They have physical endurance – they have mental toughness – They have plenty of determination and a deep feeling of purpose and most of all they have faith in their pursuit. The author took this concept of exploration a bit further. Geographical explorations have limits whilst exploration of ourselves as a human being is infinite. The author is inviting her readers to turn inwards; because when you turn inwards this is where you find your own treasure.

The book is shaped like a journey, and the author is taking her readers on an Epic Journey serving as their tour guide. This book will entice, surprise and inspire. The words have depth, the journey is meaningful and the message uplifting and thought-provoking. Are you ready for your Quest?

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