Last week we talked about the idea that our Core Values are decision making filters. They help you make choices that feel aligned with who you are and where you want to go.
So, what do decision making filters and pit bulls have in common? It turns out, a lot.
Soon after we moved here, we met an amazing woman who’s not only a two-time cancer survivor and a badass in the gym but a dog mom extraordinaire. She’s known around town for her bright orange car, with its wide array of animal-related bumper stickers and a license plate that reads FURBBS. She has fostered tons of dogs in her time, and hearing her story inspired my boyfriend to become dog foster parents ourselves.
I, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. I was worried that Tiger (the dog I rescued when she was eight weeks old) wouldn’t get enough exercise, since you can’t take fosters to the dog park. I was worried she wouldn’t get enough attention since we’d be training a new pup. I was worried that it was all too much change since we were just getting settled.
One of my mentors taught me that the Visionary mindset is about moving towards what you do want instead of away from what you don’t want. And I realized that all of my objections – all of my resistance -was based on moving away from things I didn’t want.
So I asked myself what I did want. My Vision talks about feeling really connected to the place I’m blessed to live in, and that finding meaningful ways to volunteer has helped me experience facets of my community I never would have otherwise. It talks about supporting my partner’s passions and challenging myself to do things that scare me.
We ironed out some shared expectations and decided to go for it. A few days later we picked up our first foster pup, Bella – a 1 year old pit bull with a huge smile, a goofy personality and a strong conviction that at 65 pounds, she was definitely still a lap dog.
Her and Tiger quickly became besties, and they both ended up getting loads of exercise and attention. Instead of disrupting our new home, having her made us get it more organized.
After about 3 weeks with us, Bella got adopted by a great family, and we got to bring home another foster yesterday. (As I write this, she’s laying by my side. And I keep calling her Bella by accident.)
When I wrote my current Vision 3 years ago, I never thought that living it into existence would include so many canines, but that’s the beauty of the Visionary mindset my mentor taught me. It helps us make decisions based on a pull, not a push.
A pull towards the often unexpected connections and experiences that help us turn our Vision into reality, instead of spending our time and energy in reactive and resistant mode, pushing away from what we don’t want without getting any closer to where we actually want to go.
What decisions are on your mind as you read this, and how could the Visionary mindset help you move towards what you really want?
