Think happy, be happy.

Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.

Thoughts are quite possibly one of the only things in life we control completely. Yet, so often we hand this right away… That voice in your head can either be your worst enemy or best friend. 

It is so simple to be happy, but we seem to make it so much more complicated than that. 

Think happy thoughts, be happy.

Happiness is a habit.  Life around us may not always be easy or nice, but our perception of the world is ours to decide. All the bad things, bad thoughts, bad memories can make it hard to take control, and sometimes it is so much easier to let them steer. However, a commitment to happy changes our direction. Negativity sticks you in the mud, but positive thoughts can propel you forward. It's a matter of taking a step, any step, as long as it is moving you. Our energy is best spent on moving. Motion takes us forward toward what is next, whether that's good or bad is for us to decide. 

I've always said happiness is a choice, but what that choice can bring you is more than good vibes. Being happy opens us up to good people, new opportunities, it frees the mind from burden, and breeds more happiness. It's simply a matter of what we think that makes or breaks this chain reaction. 

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.  

Climbing Mountains

In agility we climb mountains.

There is no mountain too high to tackle, and I've never seen a mountain too small to ignore. There are some who would have you believe that some goals are not worthwhile. Trainers who turn away dogs that aren't "competitive enough", whatever that even means. Honestly, I feel bad for those individuals. Not the ones turned away, they're MUCH better off without such negativity. But I feel bad for the people who cannot see the potential in every dog, who dismiss "small" goals. I have so many tiny goals every day I can't even keep track of them all, and I've run so many dogs who's mountains were not 29,029 feet tall. But there isn't a rule that says you have to climb Mt. Everest to be successful.

Our mountains range from world championships to novice Qs, but in this journey who's to say what's worthwhile? If it makes you happy; if it makes you proud, then to me it seems like a pretty good investment. No one should look down at smaller slopes, because we don't know what it took to climb them.

To continue to climb mountains, one must continually descend back into the valleys.

We climb so high to simply fall and start all over again, no one stays at the top forever.  But that's just it. In agility we climb mountains, we don't sit on top of them. We climb, not for the glory but for the process. It doesn't matter how high, or how long it takes...the climb is always worthwhile. I can only hope that in this life I'm repeatedly faced with more mountains. For every step, and every stumble has taught me something about myself, about this sport. Taking the ski lift to the top would have gotten me nowhere, because the top of the mountain isn't a destination. The trek up isn't to get to the top, it's to gather all the knowledge every challenge has to offer. The view on top may be great, but it's the climb up that teaches us greatness.

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.