For the last couple of weeks, Conkers has been turning her nose up at the food we have been giving her.  At the same time she is more than happy to feast on garden soil, grass and clothes pegs (especially the blue ones!), and many less savoury items which she finds during her forays into the woods.  Even though Conkers is clearly full of health and metaphorical, if not real, beans, this was causing us some concern, so we asked the trainer for some advice.  She recommended that we try making her work for her dinner, given that dogs are natural scavengers.  We have done this with some success by leaving scent trails to chicken wings secreted at various places in the garden (the neighbours if they didn't already, are now convinced I am as bonkers as Conkers), and by throwing dishes of her dried food all over the lawn (ditto).  Amazingly rising to these mental challenges absorbs the dog and when she finds it, she eats with great enthusiasm, the very same food that she would have greeted with disdain if presented on her silver (well stainless steel) platter! 

This got me thinking about  the parallels with the sense of achievement we feel when we have worked hard for, and succeeded in effecting or coping with big changes in our lives.   When we perceive that things have been handed to us on a plate and that they just happened, they are never accompanied by that same feeling of bursting pride and a sense that the rewards are deserved.  So if you are feeling bogged down with change, and that you are working hard and getting nowhere, just take a few minutes to reflect on how good you will feel when you have overcome your current challenges, and maybe that feeling will give you a little energy to drive you that little bit closer to your goals..

Hilary and Hélène are successful accredited business coach-mentors who have used their experience to create the FunShop; a fun and empowering way to move forward in the face of change www.thefunshopway.co.uk