Dog on the Hunt

“A dog in the hunt doesn’t stop to scratch its fleas.”

I was reading through Blink by Malcolm Gladwell last night when he made mention of the quote above. If you think about how determined a dog can get when it is in the middle of a hunt, you really start to realize how easy it is for our canine companions to stay focused. When they have a specific goal in mind, it can be quite challenging to shake them out of that mindset.

You don’t need the Dog Whisperer to tell you that Fido isn’t the only one who can take on this kind of mentality. Taking a look at some of the world’s best athletes and most successful business people, their ambitions can completely take over their very beings. Nothing else matters, because they’ve got their eyes on the prize, however impossible it may seem to attain.

For freelance writers and other online entrepreneurs, the same can also be said. I talk a fair bit about staying focused and motivated while working from home, but the reverse can also be true for a lot of people. They may be getting too focused “in the hunt,” and ignoring everything else. The fleas on their collars, however much itchiness they may be causing, become secondary when there is a greater task at hand. This can be a good strategy to achieve your goals, but you also have to realize the price that may be paid as a result.

It’s really easy to get caught up in your ambitions, losing sight of some of the things (and people) in your life that may matter even more. In chasing that dream of financial independence, you may not even notice that your health is deteriorating from poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Freelance writers are notorious for not eating the right kinds of foods; the time spent preparing a proper meal, they say, is better spent on the computer furthering their businesses. I know I fall into this trap from time to time.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being the dog in the hunt. This is how you will be able to achieve your goals and take your business to the next level. At the same time, don’t forget to take pleasure in the little things and pay attention to the little things that have been nagging at you. You need to scratch those fleas and wash those paws, because left ignored, these little concerns can grow into big problems.