5 Reasons Why the Dog Whisperer is One of My Favorite Life Coaches

I know this sounds a little strange, but the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, is one of my favorite life coaches.

People call him when they have dog problems they can’t handle. His mantra?

“I rehabilitate dogs and I train people.”

I don’t have a dog, yet I have to admit, when I watch the show and there’s a particularly problematic dog situation, I’m fascinated.

I came downstairs the other day to catch a glimpse of an especially angry and agitated dog on the Dog Whisperer TV show who tried several times to take a bite out of Cesar. Try as he might, the dog didn’t win. Cesar got the canine to calm down, sit down and, eventually, lie down. Next thing I knew, the dog was on his side, allowing Cesar to pet him. The same dog that, just minutes earlier, tried feverishly to chomp on Cesar’s arm. I was intrigued. I stopped everything I was doing to watch the entire scene.

I call him a life coach–even though he’s not referred to as such–because he uses coaching strategies with humans and dogs to get outstanding results, which come quite quickly, in most cases. I’ve been reflecting on the strategies and techniques I’ve seen him use with great success–with humans just as much with dogs (the humans always seem to be the real problem, not the dogs), and thought I’d highlight 5 favorite strategies/aspects I’ve observed in this master life coach. After each strategy/aspect, also provided is: Practical Application for Everyday Life and the Resolution. Here we go…

1. Cesar’s bearing and countenance reflect the plain truth: Cesar knows he’s in charge and the dogs know it too.

What’s highly effective about his authority is that he carries it from the inside out. You’ve seen folks who try to convince you, either by telling you bluntly, or by some other covert method, that they’re in charge. I’m always suspicious of people who try to convince me of their boss-ship. Conversely, when a person carries authority from the inside out, everyone around knows who’s in charge, before they ever speak a word. It’s because they’re demonstrating authority of self, which increases confidence in their ability to manage others. The problem with people who try to convince you they’re in charge is that they know, deep inside, they don’t have the power, control or authority over the situation that they’d like, and they’re afraid.

Cesar carries his authority from the inside out; which means he has a deep inner knowing of his authority and doesn’t need to convince anyone of anything. The dogs (and their owners) know who’s in charge when Cesar walks in the door, before he says a word or does anything.

Practical Application for Everyday Life: Have you been trying to convince folks, in any way, to listen to you, take your advice or follow your lead? Have you met with resistance? If the answer to those two questions is ‘yes’, the first place to begin to address the issue is in the mirror. Read this statement carefully:

No one will trust you to lead them anywhere (on a long-term basis) unless and until you have demonstrated mastery of yourself.

Period.

You can try as hard as you like, you’ll only be like that mad dog that tried, unsuccessfully, to nip Cesar. You can’t handle other people until you learn to handle yourself.

Resolution: Before trying to convince anyone to listen to you, or follow you, or do as you say, look in the mirror and gaze deeply into your own eyes. Ask yourself all the ways you don’t listen to, or follow or lead yourself. Do you always listen to your own inner voice? Do you always lead yourself with excellence and mastery? Do you always do what you say you’re going to do? Do you trust yourself to lead yourself and everything in your life? If you can’t answer an unequivocal YES! to each of these questions, your attempt to lead others is premature and will be unwelcome.

2. Cesar is well trained in what he does, in addition to being naturally gifted as a Dog Whisperer.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Cesar has a gift with dogs. He loves them. The gift is a natural talent, one that he was obviously born with. I can picture him as a kid, walking around the neighborhood with a pack of dogs, leading them all (I don’t know if that’s what happened, I’m making this part up). You get the idea. We’re all born with gifts and talents to do extraordinary things in extraordinary ways. I wonder if a person who didn’t have a natural gift with dogs would be as good at it as Cesar…

Yet, in addition to all his natural talent, Cesar has developed his gift to a high degree by being trained in the psychology of dogs. He even has a dog psychology center. He’s studied dogs. He knows what makes dogs tick. He knows what tools to use and when. He knows what works with one breed of dog, but may not necessarily work with another. His knowledge of dogs is extensive, more than I’ve ever seen in any one person. Cesar knows dogs.

In addition to natural talent and gifts, the Dog Whisperer has trained himself extensively.

Practical Application for Everyday Life: Natural gifts and talents are raw materials only. Alone, they’re not the ticket to get you to where you want to be. Your gifts must be honed, developed and directed and you must be trained in order to experience high fulfillment and an extraordinary life in your chosen field.

Resolution: If you’ve been resting on the fact that you’re naturally good at something, and can do well just using your talents, you may have been comparing yourself to your peers (you can probably easily outdo them, just using your natural gifts and abilities). What would serve you is to put yourself in a tougher crowd. Add to your circle a few people who are extraordinary at what they do as a result of having trained themselves extensively, while honing their natural talents. When you become uncomfortable around the new crowd you’re hanging out with, you may be compelled to step up your game. You’ll see the value in developing yourself to a high degree. Stop resting on your laurels and step up to the next level.

3. Cesar works with energy.

Energy is everything. When I watch Cesar, he often speaks of energy, the energy with which he approaches a dog, the energy of the people in the dog’s surroundings, the energy everyone around the dog is emitting while he’s in the midst of rehabilitating the pet. Everything is energy, this Cesar knows and honors. Therefore, his work is much more powerful than those who simply use words to command a dog without the necessary underlying energy.

Everything is energy, and Cesar uses energy in a positive way to elicit the responses and behavioral changes he’s going after.

Practical Application for Everyday Life: No one is paying attention to what you say. And no one is paying attention to what you look like (though you may want to argue otherwise). Yet, everyone is paying attention to the energy you’re emitting. Everyone knows how they feel in your presence, which is a function of what kind of energy you’re putting out.

I was in one of my favorite cafes one busy afternoon for lunch when I noticed one of the folks who usually makes sandwiches and salads was missing. The manager was filling in for him instead. I wasn’t happy because the manager was so stressed and flustered trying to get all the orders done, as fast as he could go, that he was putting a great amount of stress energy into everything and everyone around him, including my sandwich. I thought to myself for a minute about what to do. Should I say something to him? I don’t want my sandwich infused with stress, I’m getting ready to eat that! So I prayed and emitted the opposite energy, with great intention. I calmed myself and stood in serenity waiting for my meal. I smiled at him. I thought about the spa. I was caught up in an ocean of tranquility when I heard my number called. I smiled at him and looked him in the eye and sincerely thanked him for making my sandwich, and let him know it was okay to take his time. He smiled and looked relieved. He slowed down. (Note to self: remain calm…)

Energy is everything.

I read a statement the other day in a book I’m working through now, called Book Yourself Solid (Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling). In the beginning of the book, there’s a quote that says:

Long after people have forgotten what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.

Wow. Energy is everything.

Resolution: How do people feel when you walk in the room? How do folks feel when they’ve completed their interaction with you? Are you conscious of what energy you’re emitting? If so, are you consciously committed to increasing the quality of the energy you are emitting? What is the energy you bring to the tasks you do each day? What kind of energy are you emitting at home, with the people you love the most?

4. Cesar exhibits great readiness, ability and willingness.

In order for great forward leaps to happen for you (which is what this blog is all about–jumping out of mediocrity and creating a destiny), you’ve got to be ready, willing and able. Cesar is ready for any situation (because of his ongoing sharpening and training & his level of experience), he’s willing to jump in and help any person and any dog, and he’s able (once again, training and experience are part of being able).

On the Dog Whisperer, Cesar is always ready, willing and able.

Practical Application for Everyday Life: When readiness, ability and willingness converge, you can make great things happen in a short period of time. It doesn’t take long to reach a new level of living, even if you’re going for something radically better than what you’ve got right now. When you’re ready, willing and able, nothing can stop you. Readiness will be your magnet that will attract every resource you require, willingness will be the motor for your movement, and ability will keep the whole thing humming along in excellence.

Resolution: Ask yourself: Am I ready for the life I say I want? How do I know I’m ready? Am I able to create what I desire? Can I increase my abilities? How? Am I willing to do what it takes, including taking complete responsibility for EVERYTHING in my world (even when it looks like it’s someone else’s fault, after all, it’s all happening in your world; you are the stage director, set designer, casting director, wardrobe designer, executive producer and star of the stage play called your life) to become successful to the highest degree, beyond anything I’ve ever imagined? If there’s hesitation, or if you’re not taking 100% responsibility for your life, you won’t ever have what you really want.

5. Cesar has fun.

I love to see him in action; he looks like he’s having such great fun doing what he does. Even when he’s sweating with a dog (like he was with the one who temporarily confused him with dog chow), he still looks like he enjoys the challenge.

The Dog Whisperer is having a good time, and it shows.

Practical Application for Everyday Life: Being a life coach is extreme fun for me. Sometimes my clients and I laugh, sometimes there’s tears, yet, in it all, I find great enjoyment. It causes an absolute pleasurable sensation, on multiple levels of my being, when I do what I do. When I write an article like this one, or when I speak to an audience, I am having immense fun (as you can probably tell by the length of this article).

One of the reasons I do Destiny Life Coaching, in particular, is because I discovered a simple fact that’s turned my life into a dream: when I do what I love, money and every good thing comes. On the other hand, if you don’t love what you do for money, you’ll never have enough money. Learning that fact has become a passionate lesson I share with clients:

DO WHAT YOU LOVE.

DO WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING.

DO WHAT’S FUN.

If you live by this simple premise, your life will never be the same. I’ve made a life choice to not do anything I don’t like on an ongoing basis. I might do it a few times, but sooner or later, I’m going to delegate that task to someone else, just so I can stay in the doing-what-I-love space all the time. It’s one of my life goals. (Even as I’m doing a task that doesn’t give me a thrill, I think of things that I love while I’m doing the task, which gets it off my plate faster. See #4 above: Everything is energy.)

Resolution: Are you having fun? Are you living the passionate life? Do you do what you love most of the time, even if it’s not 100% of the time? If not, make a promise to yourself today that you’re not going to spend your vital life force energy on doing things you don’t love. Hand those tasks over to other people, or at least make a plan to, and start living the life you deserve. You deserve to have lots of fun.

There you have it, 5 life coaching strategies Cesar Millan uses with great success, great elegance (which means achieving the greatest reward for the least amount of effort) and sometimes with great speed.

We’ll talk more on coaching, I’ve got a lot more to say about this topic…

What are your thoughts? Post a comment and join in the conversation. In the meantime,

Live richly!

VAL

Tags: Destiny Life Coach, Everything is Energy, Fun, growth and development, Life Coaching, living out loud, living with passion, responsibility