We settle for a mediocre life and then we make up all kind of excuses for why we are where we are. We say such things as “that’s too much to pay for a car” or “I can’t see why anyone would want to live in a house that big” or maybe it’s “why would she spend that much money on a purse when we have people starving in this country.”
We’ve adopted an “either/or strategy” rather than an “and” strategy. Many of us don’t know that we can live in a mansion and give millions of dollars to charities so we settle. The actions of animals are a great metaphor for life.
Caine is my dog and he loves treats. Really to say that he loves treats is quite an understatement. Every time he hears a sound that reminds him of his treat bag he comes running. He’s often disappointed when he gets there and the treat is actually for me. He’s an American Eskimo and he’s quite intelligent.
Recently he taught me a lesson about settling. If you ask most people if dogs like bones you most likely will hear a resounding “yes.” This would be faulty thinking because dogs don’t like bones but they settle for bones. They have been conditioned that bones is what they get so they come running every times bones are being doted out. Dogs really love steak but they settle for bones. We really love the extraordinary but we settle for ordinary. Just like dogs we have been conditioned and actually believe we like living mediocre lives but we hate it.
In the three videos below you will see what Caine chooses when he has the choice between steak (which is really chicken snack) and a bone (which is really a hard snack). You’ll want to watch all 3 videos to get the full value of the lesson. If you don’t believe me maybe you’ll believe my dog.
Video #1
Video #2
Video #3
Where in life are you settling? Please share.
That’s my spin on it.
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How can one argue with that?