The Value of Successful Thinking

Be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods. 

I recently had an old student email me, thanking me for my help on her journey to nationals this year. While we only worked together for a brief time a few years ago, I couldn’t be happier that I’ve made an impact. She reminded me why I teach and why I am still in agility. I am here because every team has the ability to make amazing transformations. As handlers, it is our job to create a training system, handling system and set goals to maximize our dog’s potential in this sport. Every dog has a different path, and every journey is worth it.

I once had someone try to convince me that Whimzy wasn’t worth my time, wasn’t good enough to be at the top. They tried to convince me that I didn't have potential in this sport. I almost believed it… that we couldn’t be the team I dreamed of being. Mind you, this was after earning gold medal at worlds. But words have an impact on us and can take away from even the most gratifying experiences. In fact it destroyed my thought process, despite our achievements I could not believe in us. It was here that I knew success was so much more than accomplishments. It includes the ability to be emotionally in control over success and failure, the ability to learn from all available sources, and a willingness to engage in positive thinking. I had to learn all over again to believe in my teammate, to practice success as a mental skill. Reaching goals is only part of the process, learning to think about success in the right way is how we reach our potential. I am still in agility to tell anyone that will listen that your dog, your dreams are worth it. I will never do what that person did to me. There is no goal too small or too great to aim for, all it takes is commitment to your teammate.

This is the duty we have to our dogs, to be successful thinkers. To take mistakes and find a remedy rather than an excuse, that is success in action. For this, we have to maintain an open mind in our approach, and develop the system our dog needs. I am still learning to practice success, but I want to do right by Whimzy in this journey. She is worth it. We are worth it.