In April, my family invited a new puppy to come and live with us. As expected, the cute, furry, little bundle of energy was basically just a wild animal who chewed things up and pretty much did whatever she wanted. The question was quickly raised, “How do we get her to behave?” This is a reaction that many of us have when faced with someone or something that doesn’t conform to our expectations. It’s also a reaction that practicing Aikido is intended to overcome.
So what’s the alternative? The alternative to trying to change someone else’s behavior is to look at ourselves and change how we’re behaving. Those familiar with the youth classes at Aikido Olympia, may know that we’ve considered making their slogan: “You can’t change other people, you can only change yourself!” As we’ve been helping the puppy learn how to live in a home with people who have behavior expectations for dogs, it turns out that the most important changes we make are to our own behavior. Furthermore, we’ve all realized that the real learning lies in becoming consistent with those behaviors and with our expectations.
By Nate Weed