Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character

A quote from Albert Einstein.  I think he was very wise.  When it comes to attitude, a positive, happy attitude goes a long way to a happy life. Your attitude determines how you feel and what you project to the world.

Truly sums up how I feel about agility.  Attitude is everything.  There is no reason on this planet that any person doing agility should feel anything but Joy.  You can put in hours and hours of training, seminars, reading, and practice, but that will not bring the joy.  The joy comes from inside you, the connection you have with your dog.  If you get to the field and you don't feel the joy, got to go back to basics and find out what the heck is going on.

Yes, there are days of frustration.  Yes there are days of self doubt.  Yes there are days that anger creeps in.  Yes negativity in the world comes down on us.  It wouldn't be fun if emotion weren't part of it.  The highs are high because the lows are low.

But the light of going out and enjoying the day with your dog should bring a sense of joy to your heart.

The other day I was at a trial.  I was standing getting ready to go in and I was a bundle of nerves, I was smiling trying to get my head in gear.  I really didn't believe I could do the course but I was trying to make myself believe.  A very good friend came up beside me.  I said, "Hi."  She said, "I believe in you, you can do it."  Wow, just wow.  I am one of the luckiest people in this world.  Seriously. 

A load of people are writing about attitude today. Take some time to read their posts: http://dog-agility-blog-events.posterous.com/pages/attitude

I found a post I did early this year.  Interesting how I speak about the joy of agility and it aligns with attitude: http://www.kvk9.blogspot.com/2012/01/joy.html