The Teachings of Dog: No 6 - Water Lily

Lily is an extremely determined lady. If a bit of biscuit (or a frozen pea - particular favourite!) makes a bid for freedom and escapes beneath a kitchen cupboard, then she will always be the first to draw attention to it by snuffling and scratching at it until either she manages to extract it or you give in and assist.

Since the ice has finally thawed on our little pond, Lily has discovered a new interest. Whatever it is (and frankly we probably don't want to know) is so deeply fascinating that she now spends far longer in the garden, but unfortunately for Lily it's something she cannot quite reach... None of the canine members of staff enjoy frolicking in water - Daisy is particularly funny in this respect and will go a long way out of her way to avoid stepping in even the shallowest puddle - so deliberately jumping in the pond is, for Lily, not an option. As she develops her strategies, however, she has clearly experienced some unwelcome feedback with a couple of early theories which resulted in her requiring some time for contemplation in the dogs' hot tub (otherwise known as the utility room sink). Like Edison with the development of his light bulb, to Lily this does not mean failure - she is simply finding different ways which do not give her the result she wants. I am sure, given time, she will achieve her goal.

Lily's teachings:

• Hold on to your dreams and goals, despite what others think.
• Know that sometimes in the pursuit of a goal it might mean you have to leave your comfort zone. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve it.
• Never give up on a lost frozen pea.

Why Happiness Matters

I've just come across Action for Happiness - a wonderful new charity which is officially launching in Spring 2011. If you would like to be part of the movement, visit their website and join up now - www.actionforhappiness.org

Joy is wherever you choose to find it

So apparently this is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. I'm not terribly sure who decided that was the case, but I am a firm believer that joy is wherever you choose to find it. Where do you choose to put your focus today?

Gratitude as a cure for insomnia

It's interesting how often several clients can contact me with the same presenting problem within a short space of time. Last Autumn the theme seemed to be a desire for weight loss; this winter it seems that insomnia is a popular issue, and in case any of my blog readers are suffering with this problem (or know somebody who is!) I thought I would share a useful technique with you.

One of the keys for falling asleep is to relax your mind as well as your body, and often this is easier said than done - many people cannot sleep because of the things going round in their head. Recognising this pattern is the first important step - interrupting it and replacing it with something else is the second. And the replacement has to be something that your conscious mind will find just a little bit boring, but not too boring or your mind won't want to do it... some people find that counting sheep, for example, can be just a bit too dull - and their mind just returns to the original worry.

Next time you can't sleep, try one of these ideas instead; they all use the alphabet as a base. Try thinking of items in your bedroom beginning with each letter of the alphabet - it's not as easy as it sounds ("i" used to be a challenge until Apple came along!). Alternatively, animals are quite fun. Here's one, though, that my clients really like - think of things you are grateful for, beginning with each letter of the alphabet - and really focus on each one in turn and understand what it is about it that makes you grateful. It doesn't matter how big or small each of these things are - gratitude is a very powerful emotion!

Let me know how you get on - and if there are other techniques that you have found useful and which you would like to share then I am always interested to hear about them!

Do you see challenges or opportunities?

"Life isn't the way it's meant to be - it is the way it is. The way we cope with it makes the difference." - Virginia Satir

If we expect life to be different from how it is, then we are going to be disappointed! As Virginia Satir says, it is the way it is. What we can change, however, is the way we think and feel about it. If we expect life to be exactly as it is then our expectations will be fulfilled and we can focus, instead, on the challenges and opportunities that life brings us - and perhaps even recognise that sometimes the challenges are also opportunities.

Allow your dreams to set sail

I heard a lovely quote yesterday, from my niece, who came across it on Twitter (I don't know from where or whom this originated - if you do, please let me know!):

"The boat is safer anchored at the port; but that's not the aim of boats."

Very often we will stay anchored to something because it seems like the safest option, but we forget that fear can keep us from achieving our dreams. As you set your goals for the New Year, notice what fears and old beliefs may be holding you back - maybe it is time to set yourself free.