Invaluable Life Lessons You Can Learn from Your Pet

While roosters can be huge show-offs, lovebirds can teach you a thing or two about PDA. There's so much we can learn from our pets, you know. If only we care to actually observe...
Renuka Savant
Last Updated: Aug 6, 2017
Being at a position that's slightly on a higher level in the food chain, humans tend to think of themselves as a refined lot. Refined enough to think of themselves as absolutely perfect, especially when compared to the rest of the residents of the animal kingdom.
Pompous as we are, thanks to our powerfully developed brain and our fancy-schmancy flexible thumbs, we need to open our eyes to our cohabitants and take some serious life lessons.
The rationale behind this is simple - when we're asked to learn things from other people, we tend to think that we are way too evolved than the rest of the human race to be learning anything from them.
At some level, you'd always find competition, jealousy or an inadvertent sense of establishing one's superiority that accompanies every human relationship. From this stems a resistance towards imbibing good qualities of others.
We take to loving them with all our heart, because seriously, they're not going to steal our jobs, snatch our partners, rob our money or take over our homes. Their company is unparalleled and comforting, which can coax us to be more like them. Let's open our minds, then, and begin.
Cats define independence and aloofness, and we'd see an unmistakable surge in our mystique if we incorporate this feline characteristic. Being an open book does you no harm, but being a tell-all can lead you to dig your own grave.
Zip your mouth a bit, keep your cards close to your chest, and don't hand over the keys to your emotions to all and sundry. Revel in your company and start loving yourself before you attempt to try it on someone else.
Similarly, we need to read the unspoken signals that we get from the people around us and act accordingly. Raising the bar on our sensitivity meter will take some effort, but doing so will make you perceptive and humane, if you'd like to call yourself that.
A bout of anger in animals lasts till the next distraction comes along, and voila! They wipe the slate clean of any residual resentment. Animals don't harbor ill-feelings, they never, ever contemplate revenge. While they possess an uncanny ability to remember certain incidents, animals almost always forgive and forget, unlike a human.
Their 'me first' attitude can be imbibed by those who are too busy taking care of everything and everyone except themselves. Working moms, in particular, should always know that taking some time out for yourself does not mean that you love your family any less, or that you're not the perfect professional.
Go on a jog, or simply take a walk. Exercise your body, breathe in a lungful of air. Doing this does not only make your pet dog happy; you'll know the joys of the outdoors if you really go out there yourself.
High blood pressure, heart ailments, stress, backaches and cancer are few friends that you'll pick up along the course of life if you keep seething and simmering under the weight of your own thoughts.
Our dear pets like to say things as they are - you know if they're happy; and they make sure you know when they're enraged. Whatever mood you're feeling, release it, and let it go. Resentment, especially. It's not 24-karat gold, you know.
Remember how your dog curls up next to you when you're mopping up your post break-up tears? Or your cat that settles in your lap when you're lazing around on a beautiful summer day? Are they asked to do it?
Never. It's only when you share a special connection with someone that you're able to empathize with them. Making this connection comes naturally to our pets, shouldn't we give it a try as well?
Is it so tough for us to eat on time and sleep on time every single day? We can take invaluable lessons about life from these animals and in turn, learn to respect our own body.
You've got to stop and smell the roses before you land up in a wheelchair or an asylum. And that's not a place to really start living, no matter what Hollywood says.