Tony was a high-strong German Shepherd/lab mix. One week I agreed to keep him at my place while his owners went on vacation. I thought Tony would enjoy taking walks and playing in my yard. But I was wrong. Tony was not happy about being left by his owners.
He wanted to run down the road and find his parents. He tried to dig under the fence, chew up the doors and pull off the molding in my laundry room. He had a goal and he was going for it. Thankfully for me, Tony never reached that goal. Finally his owner returned. I decided I would never watch Tony again. He was too high-strong.
A few months later, his owners called. They were going out of town again and needed someone to watch Tony. But something had changed. Tony had been hit by a car and severely injured. His right front leg had been amputated. So now, Tony only had 3 legs. I figured in his condition Tony would be calmer and less likely to try to run away.
But Tony had different ideas. He had no intention of being left behind again. As Tony’s owner started walking away, this dog absolutely floored me. Even though he was in a weakened condition and only had 3 legs, Tony made a powerful leap and cleared my 4 ½ foot fence. He was determined to be with his dad. And nothing was going to stop him from reaching that goal.
This courageous, 3 legged dog can teach us a vital character trait: Determination. As a business owner or marketer, determination is absolutely critical to your success.
In the fast-paced, ever changing world of marketing, it’s easy to get discouraged. It’s easy to give up. Determination helps you blaze forward.
Set your goals and go after them. If your goal is to increase company revenue by 30%, go after that goal. Don’t let anything stop you. Tony didn’t let the loss of his leg stop him from jumping the fence to be with his owner. And you should never let failure, discouragement, financial difficulties or anything else, hinder you from accomplishing your business goals. Press on. Adjust where you need to adjust. And keep moving forward.
Happy Marketing,
Rachel Monroe
The Pet Industry Copywriter
