Extra Points: Work Like a Dog

I found it very interesting when she explained to us the dog’s motivation. Obviously, the dog has no understanding of the gravity or significance of the search, so they can’t be motivated by sheer emotion of the moment. She related that the dog is motivated solely by fun. The search is a game to them; that when they meet their objective, they receive a reward. The reward is most often not food (which immediately eliminates Captain Jack from consideration) because food might contaminate a site. Rather, they get toys as their reward. For the dog, the thrill is literally in the chase. Find the subject – get a reward – have fun.

Shouldn’t you be doing that with your career?

If your only motivation is based on receiving a paycheck and trading time for money, then you’re in danger of spending a lot of your waking hours during your life in drudgery. Before you think I am exaggerating, go spend 15 minutes reading your Facebook timeline. Watch TV and observe how “work” is often depicted. If you’re a business owner, are you having fun working for yourself? Are you enjoying the chase?

Dogs get it. They are motivated by FUN. They chase the REWARD. They live happy lives. We humans must not forget that we should be more focused on living a fun and rewarding life and by extension, our business career should mirror that. After all, we will spend more time doing that than anything else. We might as well enjoy the chase….

Quote of the Week:

“Dogs don’t rationalize. They don’t hold anything against a person. They don’t see the outside of a human, they see the inside of a human.”
~ Cesar Millan