I hope you had a fabulous holiday weekend!

As you know, we have a few dogs. I have written to you about Ella before, she’s a “special” dog. And by special, I mean that she marches to the beat of her own drum. She’s the size of a small pony, but is afraid of a lot. She’s stubborn, at times. She has anxiety, for sure. She wants to get close to people to smell them, but as soon as they reach down to pet her, she backs away. Someone, daily, will ask if they can pet her and she will literally hide behind me like a shy toddler. But once she loves you, she is your best friend and will try to sit on your lap, if you will let her! Ask my friend, Trish, who had all 80+ pounds of Ella plunked down on her like she was a 3-pound Chihuahua. Ella is Ella.

Ella made me think about people. Can you think of someone at work that’s like Ella—and by “like Ella” I mean someone who doesn’t necessarily behave the way you’d like them to. Perhaps you want them to be more assertive, less egotistical, more agreeable, less confrontational, more confidant, less judgmental, more independent, less uncertain, etc. You can think of someone, right? Me, too. 

Now, every time we have these thoughts, I want us to think about Ella. We can absolutely teach an old dog a new trick, but sometimes we need to start by remembering that the old dog has been this way for a while now. All things do not need to be changed, sometimes we need to honor that our “Ella” has a fabric that is different from ours. Is it an Ella problem or an us problem? And even if it is something that needs to be changed, starting from a place of compassion, appreciation, and acceptance is a fabulous place to start!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth