What performers can learn from the mindset of a dog
You can learn a lot about the presence of mind required to perform from watching dogs.
Last week, I took my dog — an 8-year-old Cane Corso/Vieszla/American Bulldog Mix — on a 3 mile walk.
About halfway through, his foot got caught in a crack. He let out a small yelp, and proceeded onward. After a little limping, he settled in and made it the full way back.
His paw was a little bloody, but nothing out of the ordinary. I cleaned him up, put a bandage on him, and we went on our way.
For the next day, he acted as if everything was completely normal. He ran around our yard, barked at the neighbors dog, and chased a ball. He was fully locked in to whatever he was doing.
But I noticed his foot wasn't getting any better, so I took him into the emergency vet.
It turns out he had torn the nail clean off, and actually fractured one of his fingers. It was small, but I don't know any person that would fracture a toe and keep playing on it like nothing happened.
I was astounded it was so bad. He seemed completely fine. He could not be less bothered by this broken toe. Meanwhile, most of us would be bemoaning our fate and complaining about the fact that we couldn't go to the gym for the next month (or maybe that's just me). But not Otis.
And I think much of it comes down to his short memory, his love for chasing things, and the fact that he is basically always fully present.
I'm not advocating for morning pain or not treating injuries seriously, by the way.
I'm simply pointing out that even something so painful as a broken bone is more tolerable if you can be present with the pain, instead of wishing it away or fearing the future with your new condition.
Dogs have a distinct advantage in that they don't really need to train their minds to be present. Of course they have memories and occasionally have fear responses based on past learning. But by and large, they spend their day sleeping or living fully in the here and now.
And their quality of life — their joy, their play, their love — is something we admire because of it.
Today’s mindset workout:
Practice 15 minutes of mindfulness.
The structure of your brain will change after 100 minutes of practice.