Everything I need to know, I learned from the Dog Whisperer.

Yes, that’s a bit of a stretch, but there are some wonderful life lessons that Mr. Cesar Millan has taught me; not the least of which is how to work with my precious puppy on occasion. One of his best lessons is living in the moment. I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about the breadth of that statement, but his topical explanation is that your entire frame of mind and thinking should be almost exclusively considerate of your experiential moment – the moment you are in ‘right now.’ Indeed, you should be maximizing the ‘now.’ In your moment, you should not be concerned with the past, nor let it affect your success in the now.

Millan’s principle mostly pertains to people’s attitudes and states of mind as they interact with dogs, who, as he explains, only live in the now. When people who have been bitten by a dog approach one nervously, for example, their anxiety contributes to the degradation of the situation, where the dog senses a person’s nervousness and thus becomes more unpredictable itself. He says that a dog relies on reassurance and leadership from its humans, and when that charisma is lacking, they begin to distrust their environment and act more defensive. Under these circumstances, the dog might become uncertain enough to bite. Cesar’s instructions to most of these clients are to forget the past, because dogs don’t consider the past, and approach each situation with calm energy and existing only in the now.

I think this is a great lesson for life too. Living in the moment – maximizing each breath and poignantly taking stock of each situation you find yourself in – should theoretically lead to an extremely rewarding life, and perhaps fewer regrets. It’s no small task though, and thus it will require some practice.

I am going to work on living in the moment as much as possible. If I am not satisfied with my situation or surroundings, why not change it? Hence, I have the radio on as I am typing this post. I am comfortable and enjoying the program. The kettle just finished boiling. It’s now time for me to make the best tea I can, and soon I will very much enjoy that too.