The Last Sled Dog Always Has The Same View!

Like many others where I grew up, I was raised to be an avid hunter. If you aren’t keen on guns or hunting, you might want to stop reading right about now. However, in my personal experience hunting with my father was one of the fondest childhood memories I have. During my early teenage years, my father taught me how to be a man and to live life fearlessly, and how to know when to lead and when to follow. He also impressed upon me the importance of respecting Mother Nature for all that she provides us with.

Dad took me hunting all over the country, chasing down everything from ducks to deer and anything else in between. We went hunting on private land, on horseback, and even behind a dog sled. In fact, one of my fondest memories is when my father and I found ourselves in the middle of a horrible snowstorm one hunting season. We were on our way back to camp, which so happened to be about 10 miles from where we were when the weather turned sour, when we found ourselves braving -20 degree weather and had no choice but to push through.

However, despite the weather being horrible, our lead sled dog named “Chloe” remained enthusiastic and somehow ‘knew’ that she was responsible for getting us back to camp safely. She was excited, almost happy that the weather had gone bad and was up for any challenges that we faced. She never stumbled or had to be pushed to keep moving on. She simply took the lead and seem to view everything as an adventure, rather than an obstacle she had to overcome. Honestly, I never thought a dog could inspire me, but Chloe actually helped me keep my spirit up on our way back to camp. It was incredible.

Of course, while Chloe was doing her part to lead us home safely, there was a rotten apple in the bunch. Jake, the sled dog rounding out the tail, was drudging along literally dragging his paws as Chloe pushed us on to safety. He clearly was not “into” his job and it was more than obvious he was struggling to stay focused. There was a reason he was the sled dog in the back of the pack, and I think it had to do with his lack of enthusiasm.

When it comes to business, we can be either the pack leader or the follower. We can either push ahead willingly to success or be dragged to our final destination. Our viewpoint and optimism ultimately decide the positions we hold in life and while being positive and having enthusiasm can help us attain our goals, negativity and lack of enthusiasm can be just as powerful and keep us from being successful.

So the question is... which sled dog are you?