I BELIEVE… THAT DOGS MAKE YOU HAPPIER
I have always asked questions.
It felt like my hand was always up through school. And at university, when the lecturer would finish by asking if anyone had any questions, and the drone of folders closing would fill the auditorium as fellow students started packing up.
There I was, with my hand up.
Asking questions is just the way I learn.
I ask questions to reaffirm that what I think I have learnt is correct, or because I don’t understand and I need it explained in a different way.
So when I felt puzzled about a direction I should take, it made sense to ask one of my mentors, Hugh Culver, a question for some advice.
Hugh asked me to do a simple exercise where I finish the sentence, “I believe…” and then keep asking it.
It was an interesting and a therapeutic exercise.
Here is what I believe…
I believe that little actions over time build great results
I believe that the biggest thing that you worried about this time last year isn’t even a bleep on your radar now
I believe that if you put living off until tomorrow it will never come
I believe that all the ingredients will never be on the table at the same time
I believe that play is the best way to learn
I believe that dogs make you happier (the not so little guy in this photo is my buddy Scratchley from NYC)
I believe that what we fear is never as daunting in real life as it is in our minds
I believe that helping a stranger makes happy homes
I believe that little moments shape our lives
I believe that nature is good for your soul
I believe that people want more money and more time but they are the two things that are wasted the most
I believe if you carry a water bottle you will drink more water
I envisaged that the exercise would cast a wide net and collect abundance, but it didn’t. For me, there was this narrowness of thought, a nakedness of mind.
Did it bring clarity? Not really.
For me it was more like reassurance and a centring – don’t worry about or focus on “out there”. Here, inside, your beliefs - the answer is always there.
I am sure that I have more beliefs and that they will change and adapt over time. But for now, this is them.
Why not give it a try?
Find a moment and do the exercise, you might be surprised at what comes out on the page.
Believe and live immediately.