Goal for the Day: Just Get it Over With

As I’ve often pointed out, we have much to learn from the wisdom of dogs. This morning, I learned another lesson from Bertie. We’re in the midst of some nasty thunderstorms this morning. Unfortunately for Bertie, he still needs to go outside to do the things that dogs do outside. He was not thrilled by the cracking thunder and driving rain. When we went out on the back porch, he sat down on the bench and looked at me with wide eyes which said instantly, “Why did you let this happen?”


My response was, “I’m sorry, but you’ve got to do your business.” With a brief tail wag, Bertie jumped from the bench and scurried down the back stairs, took care of business and ran back up. He was quite thrilled with himself when he was finished and did a little dance before we went back inside.

How many times throughout the day do we have to do things that we just don’t want to do—things that we know will be uncomfortable? Unlike dogs, we have the abilit to procrastinate. And, by doing so, all we do is prolong our agony. We could all take a page from Bertie’s book. Simply charge into a situation, no matter how wet and gloomy it might be and get the job done. Afterwards, run back home and celebrate your triumph. By simply getting the unpleasantness over with, we allow ourselves much more time to enjoy the rest of the day.