Many of us have or have had pets. They’re family and are a huge part of our lives. Often, we see their purpose as balancing out our busy lives, being there to bring us joy and supporting us. What if, instead of relying on them to do this for us, we learned from them and incorporated their loving and carefree lifestyle into our everyday lives? Here are some important lessons I’ve learned from my pets that I want to start living by.
You fall down, but you get back up and keep going.
You know how animals can be quite goofy, clumsy and fall down quite a bit? Do they sit there and let themselves get defeated? No! They jump right back up and continue on with what they were doing. As people in a busy and overwhelming world, we often stay down when we fall and don’t always push ourselves to get back up right away. We let things control and get the best of us instead of taking control and pushing for ourselves to keep going. We may get knocked down by the world, but we can do hard things. There will be obstacles along the way, but we can get through them and get up, give a shake and keep going.
You can be sad but don’t dwell on it for too long.
Animals have their sad times, but they don’t let themselves sit in it for more than a few days. Obviously, feeling all their emotions is important, but they eventually move on because they know that there’s so much joy in life. It’s easier said than done, and it’s not always this simple, but it’s the basic idea. When you feel sad, let yourself feel it, but after some time, don’t allow yourself to just sit with it. Work towards bringing yourself out of it, at least a little bit. Try to feel some joy to balance things out because, without trying, you’ll fall deeper and deeper into the sadness. It doesn’t have to be a drastic change directly to happiness, but it’s important to give yourself some joy.
Show love often. Make sure those around you know they are loved and appreciated.
When you get home and walk through the door, who greets you? When you are sitting on the couch, who’s beside you? When you’re crying on the floor, who comes to be with you? That’s right, your pet! They never hesitate to show you love and let you know that they care. Yes, we tell other people that we love them, but sometimes only when it feels socially correct, like, for example, when we’re saying goodbye to someone. Instead, we should start telling those that we love and care about that we love them whenever we feel that emotion. Make sure they know! As well, make sure that when someone does something for you that either makes you happy or is helpful, tell them that you truly appreciate it. This exchange of emotions isn’t only nice for the person receiving them but also for you, who gets to share your love. It feels good and just as it brings out pets so much joy to do, it’ll do the same for you.
Find the joy in things. Do you what makes you happy
Our pets are so carefree and joyful. They’re always having fun and enjoying what they’re doing. No matter what it is, they always end up enjoying it in some way. Even if it’s something small like going for a walk or playing with their favourite toy, they’re just so happy. Often in life, it’s easier to point out the negative in things, but why not find joy and make our lives happier? It’s not impossible if you start to make it a habit. As well as make time in your life for things that make you happy. Set aside some time for yourself and the activities you love. Life isn’t meant to be busy and chaotic, with no time for fun. Animals are the perfect example of this; no matter what they’re doing, they radiate happiness.
Our lives are so different from our pets’, but there’s a lot we can learn from them. Obviously, it will take some time to reflect on these lessons and start implementing them into our lives, but there’s lots of joy to be found in them. These simple values our beloved animals hold might just be the change we need in our lives.