Consider the Source

Today I heard a friend (Bill Drees) say, "It's always the dog in the fence that is barking at the one roaming around free outside the fence...the dog outside the fence rarely even notices." It was a good reminder for me, and hopefully for you, that I should always consider the source of any comment (good or bad) before acting upon it.

When someone praises me, I need to consider the source and the situation. More times than not, we are not quite worthy of the praise we receive for something done right. When negative comments come my way, I need to consider the source and the situation. Often times, its the dog in the fence doing all the barking and that's just not worth my attention.

For example: the loudest dog in my neighborhood is a miniature dachschund. When Rowdy and I run that little dog gets all out of sorts, but my 80 pound boxer rarely notices the snack that aggravates him...why should he? Watch out for the dachschunds and the toy-poodles. They bark alot, but they don't have much to bite you with.