I’m training my dog, Bodhi, to do certain “tricks.”  We practice every day.

Nothing fancy, but some basic moves that are fun and where we work together to accomplish the goal.  I remember when I first started training her, when she was a little puppy, I felt that we were good at some tricks and not at others.  

Now that it’s winter, and Bodhi can’t spend as much time outside because of the cold, we practice more to keep her from getting bored.  Five to ten minutes a couple of times a day is more than enough.  She really likes it.

At times I’d feel frustrated.  It seemed like we were making more mistakes than we were getting it right.  I was watching a LOT of dog training videos and they make it look so easy.  They can train the dog to do the trick in 30 seconds, or so it seemed.  Then, I heard one of the trainers say that it took years for the dog to be this good at the trick.  

Okay, now I feel so much better!  

Knowing that it can take years took the pressure off. 

Where did the pressure come from?

Self-judgment, of course.  

With dog training, it’s never the dog, it’s the trainer.

I barely know what I’m doing.

Mistakes get made.  I make “mistakes” every day.  It’s a part of life.  In my time I’ve made some impactful errors and a  gazillion small ones.  

The main thing is what do we do when we notice it.  Do we berate ourselves with judgments, accusation and unkindness?  Often people do.

Many of the people I know were called stupid by their parents.  

And now they call themselves stupid as adults.  

Sometimes I sense they don’t even realize they do it.

I’ve heard spiritual teachers call themselves stupid.  “How could I be so stupid?  I’m so stupid!” 

What I know is that if we apply ourselves, if we’re willing to practice, we can be come really, really good at being loving with ourselves, and others, instead of judgmental.

Even if we only practice a few minutes a day – we can change the way we talk with ourselves and that will change every other thing in our life for the better.

Love is our healer.  Love is always the answer.

The appropriate response to a mistake is compassion and care.  

Isn’t that within our ability to learn?

Saturday, Feb 4th Online Workshop – Eliminating Reluctance & Resistance.
We all have resistance. We all have reluctance. The question is do we give into it and let it drag us down? There are spiritual methods we can use that work to clear these blocks to Love. Let’s eliminate all reluctance and resistance and celebrate the gift of life!

PODCAST: The latest episode of my podcast’s topic is Body Beliefs: Obstacles to Peace – Part 6. We’re healing at the level of the mind, and it’s working!