Latest / Enough & Evolving / What My Dog Taught Me About Being Human
Transcript
- Tyona Vallejo: Hello and welcome to Enough In Evolving Podcast. I'm your host, Tyona Vallejo, master certified life coach and mindfulness expert, helping you reclaim confidence, break through unhelpful patterns and manifest the relationships in life you desire. Now let's get started. Hey friends, welcome back to the podcast. And if you're new here, welcome. Thanks for joining us today. Today I am sharing something very special. it is the lessons that I've received from my dog Scooter. Recently, Scooter has transitioned and he had been with us for the last fourteen and a half years. He blessed our family with so many amazing memories and his physical presence is going to be dearly missed, and we are feeling it in our family, and it's been very, very challenging. And I wanted to honor him today, honor the wisdom that he has bestowed upon our family and specifically myself. And so if you have loved ones, pets that have passed, I'm sure there are things that you keep with you. That you treasure. And today I want to share the nine lessons that Scooter taught me that I hope stay with you long after this episode ends. And the first of the nine lessons is stop judging yourself. One of the things that animals never do is shame themselves. They aren't lying in bed replaying yesterday. They aren't thinking, man, I shouldn't have barked that loud or I should have handled that better. No. Humans are so incredibly hard on themselves, But the truth is when you know better, you do better. We're all responding from the level of awareness and nervous system capacity that we have in the moment. What's important is compassion. Compassion is really what gets us to change behavior. Shame never changes behavior, rarely, and if it does, it's just out of fear. It's not something that is helpful. So remind yourself if you've been judging yourself harshly, Scooter wants you to stop judging yourself and just remind yourself that you are human and humans are imperfect. Lesson two, make the mistake, learn and move on. Scooter used to have either an accident or used to growl at his brother or he would get into something that he wasn't supposed to get into. and when he was caught, he was corrected, but thirty seconds later his tail's wagging, he's moving on, he's ready to snuggle, he's happy, he's not sitting and ruminating about the mistake he made. He's forgiving himself He's moving on. Meanwhile, we carry one embarrassing conversation for ten years. Forgiveness isn't pretending it didn't happen. It's refusing to keep punishing yourself for something you've already learned. So when you make a mistake, forgive yourself, learn from it, and move on. Lesson number three, your nervous system craves connection. Dogs instinctually know this. They seek affection. They want to snuggle. next to you. Scooter used to be right next to us. Wherever we were, he'd find his way into snuggling right next to one of us. They want to play, they want eye contact. Connection isn't a luxury, it's biology. Healthy connection increases our oxytocin and our dopamine, helping us feel calmer, safer, and more joyful. So today, as you're listening, I highly encourage you, check in with yourself. Is there somewhere in your life that you have been feeling dregulated? And if so, maybe you simply need to go ask someone for a hug or reach out to a friend or a loved one to take a walk with. Maybe instead of you finding a new productivity hack or improving yourself in some way, maybe you simply just need some connection. Now, lesson number four. Sleep is sacred. Scooter never apologized for taking a nap. He was good at sleeping, especially in these last years. He really just was sleeping hard. And he never felt like he needed to earn his rest. He simply rested because his body needed it. Somewhere along the way, we've glorified exhaustion. But healing, clarity, patience, and emotional regulation all become easier when we're rested. So normalize naps, normalize rest, take what you need and stop judging yourself for it. Lesson number five, your body knows what it needs. This one makes me giggle because sometimes he would get up in the morning and we wouldn't feed him fast enough to his liking and he'd throw up. Or he'd eat his food and he'd eat too fast and he'd throw up. His body was telling him something was off. Our bodies are always speaking to us. Fatigue, anxiety, headaches, tension. They're not your enemy. They're communication. Learn to listen. Listen to your body. Listening to your body is one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself. Now, lesson number six. New experiences can lead to dysregulation in your nervous system. Now, every time we would bring Scooter to the vet or the groomer, Scooter would start immediately shivering the moment we got close. Scooter was a sheep, and his hair would constantly be growing out, and so we'd have to get him regularly groomed, or he'd just be a big, huge puffball. And every time he would shiver when we'd go show up at the groomer, his nervous system would activate. Not because something was wrong, but because it was Different, different than his day-to-day. And I think that's true for us too. Starting a new business, dating, speaking on stage, traveling, Even positive change that can create anxiety. That doesn't mean you're on a wrong path. It just means that your nervous system is adapting. So stay courageous. Don't confuse discomfort always for danger. Check in. Assess your situation. And if it's different than what you're used to, then It's normal that your nervous system is going to respond in the way that it might be responding with additional anxiety or a feeling of fear or stress. Or even doubt. Now lesson number seven. When you look good, you feel good. So after the groomers, after that fresh haircut, after that fresh bath, bandana on, man, he was so into himself. He was like, yeah. He stood tall. He walked around like he owned the neighborhood. Definitely owned our house. And there's something to be said about caring for yourself. Not because your worth depends on it, but because honoring yourself changes your energy. Sometimes confidence starts with simply taking care of yourself. So remember, when you look good, you'll feel good. Lesson number eight, love doesn't disappear. One of the greatest gifts that Scooter has been giving me as of late is that he is showing me love doesn't end with death. The connection I have with him hasn't ended Because his earthly body. I still feel him. And I am working on connecting with him in this new way in spirit. And I can definitely do a podcast all about how I'm doing that. If you're interested, I'd love to hear from you. it has been such a fun experience and I feel like it's really helping me heal. Whether you call it spirit, energy, God, or love, I believe what we truly are can't die. I am finding that if you quiet the doubt, then you can hear what only your heart knows. And lastly, lesson number nine. Loving unconditionally. This may be the greatest lesson of all. Scooter has given each one of us in our family. That he never cared what we accomplished, what we didn't do, what we maybe were lacking. How much we made or whether we had a good day or bad day, he simply loved us every day. And the older I get, the more I believe that unconditional love it's who we truly are beneath the fear. And perhaps that's what this human experience is really about, remembering the love. We've always been. In closing, Scooter's transition is definitely reminding me of the preciousness of this life, the impermanence of our lives, the people in our lives, the animals in our lives. And the moments you think that will always be there are really temporary. But love isn't. Love leaves an imprint on us. It changes us. So today I want to leave you with a question. What has someone, maybe a loved one or a pet that you've loved deeply taught you about life? I'd love for you to share it with me because I truly believe wisdom is everywhere when we're willing to notice it. Now with that, I thank you so much for spending time with Scooter and I. And I want you to always remember that you are enough and you are evolving. I'll talk to you next week. If you're listening to this and you're recognizing yourself in these patterns, this is exactly the work I do inside my coaching. This isn't something you have to figure out alone. If you're ready to feel more confident, grounded, and self-trusting, I'd love to support you. Check out the show notes to book a consultation coaching call today.