I’m sitting at home tonight trying to come up with a witty, yet valuable blog post and Captain Jack begins chasing his tail. I’ve always wondered why dogs so aggressively chase their tails. I have noticed that in the four dogs I’ve owned, the two male dogs chased their tales significantly more often than the females. There may be a lesson there, but I digress.
Maybe they are bored. Maybe they think they are entertaining me. Most probably, they have no reason or rationale. They just do it.
How many of us much more intelligent business professionals spend are spare time chasing our tails? Here are a few examples:
1 – Doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results. (Note – if it produces good results then you are smart. If not, well…you get my drift)
2 – Searching for perfection while letting simply successful pass by.
3 – Knocking on the same doors and deep down knowing these doors will never buy from you.
4 – Avoiding doing the work you know you must do by finding something less productive to steal your time.
5 – Having a “victim mentality” by blaming others for your bad luck.
The reality is that you make your own luck, and you will never do it by chasing your tail. Dogs do it because they believe this is fruitful behavior. It just might be for them. For you, it will lead to lost opportunities, wasted time, and frustration. Be able to recognize when you start chasing your own tail, learn how to fix it, and focus in on the dog treat at the end of your day instead!
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
