Summary

The author contemplates the potential benefits of having their dog, Molly, as a life coach, emphasizing the value of living in the present.

Abstract

The article "What Would Happen If My Dog Was My Life Coach?" explores the author's affection for their dog, Molly, and her suitability as an unconventional life coach. The author describes Molly as a loyal, strong-willed, and lazy Shih Tzu-Bichon mix who prefers snacks over proper food, dislikes walks, and is indifferent to others. Despite these traits, the author sees Molly as an embodiment of living in the now, a concept the author has been contemplating. The article delves into the philosophical understanding that the future is not real and the past, though once real, no longer exists in our present experience. The author argues that Molly, by not worrying about the future or being controlled by the past, could teach us to minimize stress and live more harmoniously in the present moment. The author concludes that while the idea of a dog as a life coach is silly, the lessons Molly could teach about focusing on the now are invaluable.

Opinions

The author believes that the future and past have less significance than we typically assign to them, suggesting that they are not real in our present experience.
Molly's lifestyle, which lacks concern for the future and is not dominated by the past, is presented as an ideal model for reducing stress and achieving harmony.
The author values the concept of living in the present, seeing it as a path to a happier and more balanced life.
Despite acknowledging that the idea of a dog as a life coach is absurd, the author seriously considers the beneficial life lessons that could be learned from Molly's present-focused behavior.
The author implies that our obsession with the future and dwelling on the past can be detrimental to our well-being.

What Would Happen If My Dog Was My Life Coach?

I love my dog.

She is a cross between a Shih Tzu and a Bichon, which makes her very loyal and strong-willed (as well as incredibly lazy).

She eats junk (doggy snacks) more than proper food. She hates going for walks. She doesn’t much like anyone else on this planet but me.

Oh yeah, and I’d like her as a life coach.

Why? I’ll explain.

There is only now

To understand why Molly would be a life coach on par with Tony Robbins, you have to grasp a key concept that has been a big part of my life for the last few weeks.

I’ve been thinking, see. About time. And existence.

I’m starting to understand that the future is not real. Tomorrow has not yet happened. At best, it is a dream. You may imagine what could happen tomorrow. You may even have a pretty solid prediction.

But you will never know for sure what the future will bring.

The future literally does not exist. Therefore, it is not real.

Yesterday’s gone

Now, let’s talk about the past.

Yes, the past was real at one point. You lived through it. You experienced it. There were sensations that evidenced the fact that you were experiencing life.

You felt those sensations.

However, the past no longer exists. We cannot experience the past now as anything more than our unreliable memory.

We may even have a super-reliable memory. Some of us do. But even then, you can’t touch the past. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it and you can’t hear it.

It does not exist.

Neither the past nor the future have a true bearing on what you are doing right now. Maybe you have some stuff to sort out because of what happened in the past, but that often gets easier/reduced as you continue to live in the now.

You still with me? Great.

Because here is the fun part.

The Shih Tzu Life Coach

If my dog ran my life, it would be a happier, more harmonious existence.

It would also be a place where stress would be at the absolute minimum. Because Molly (my dog) doesn’t understand the concept of the future, it does not exist for her. Therefore, she doesn’t spend much time worrying about it.

She has some memories of the past, but they do not rule her present. Instead, she lets them come to her now and then when she sees a familiar place or face. Like other dogs, she may have experienced some unpleasantness in the past, but it doesn’t run her life for her. It doesn’t control her.

She lives in the present.

If Molly could speak English (and get out of bed every morning) she would be an exceptional life coach.

All my challenges, traumas and issues would be dismissed as not existing. She’d simply say they were not real. Then, she would help me plan for events in the future with true objectivity, like she’s creating a shopping list.

All matter-of-fact.

She wouldn’t let the future creep into my thoughts and become an obsession.

And she would forbid the past from being anything other than a teacher. Lessons learned, that kind of thing.

She would help me do what I need to do to get my life on track. She’d help me to live in the now, in the moment.

But of course, Molly can never be my life coach.

That’s a stupid idea.

Ridiculous.

She’s just a dog.