Need a new perspective? Look at life from your dog's point of view. Don't have a dog? Watch a video about a golden retriever, and then continue.

Dogs are probably the happiest, most easy-going animals around. And by 'around' I mean better than cats in every way. Your dog loves you unconditionally. They forgive easily and are so unbelievably excited to see you when you get home, even if you only stepped outside for a minute. Dogs live in the moment. If they are hungry, they go find something to eat, if they are feeling playful, they will bring you a toy, and if they need a snuggle, they will plop their furry butt right on top of you.

Now, I'm not saying we should live likes dogs do and never worry about anything and go around licking everybody, because we still have responsibilities. What I am saying is that we should take a moment, when we are feeling overwhelmed, and just be in the moment, and enjoy it--like dogs do. Listen to your needs, and then take care of them the way you would care for someone you love. No ego, no drama, no self-doubt--just like a dog.

There are so many people who feel the way you do. Feel alone? Me too. Feel stressed and unsure of how to navigate the road ahead? Yup. Feel unqualified, distracted, busy, awkward, left out, embarrassed, confident, shy, lazy, motivated, upside-down and turned around all at once? No? Just me? Haha just kidding. You have probably felt that way at one point or another. My point is, we are never as alone in our feelings as we think we are. We may feel like our experiences are unique that nobody could possibly know how you feel. Well, that has not been my experience. It seems like the more I learn about the human experience, hear stories, share trials, and discuss life events with people the more I find out that we are all going through the same basic stuff. At its core, our feelings are justified, but not unique.

When you lose someone or something, by death or by departure, we go through the 5 stages of grief in one way or another. When we struggle financially, we go through feelings of low self-worth, inadequacy, fear, stress, hopelessness, panic, and possibly depression.

You may look at someone else going along on the path of life and think, "Wow they sure have an easy trail. " But the truth is, our feelings aren't always spelled out. You never know what someone is going through until you have walked a mile in their shoes. (Which is impossible to truly do, so the point is, you can never really understand just by looking at someone.) Maybe they have a thorn in their shoe that makes every step excruciating. Maybe they have to poop and there are no bathrooms for a few more miles. Pain and sorrow are not always obvious to see, but we all know what they feel like. Fear and self-doubt may not be written in clear letters on someone's shirt, but if they were to express them, I bet you would have empathy.

I have rambled on long enough. The point is: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Reach out, find your people, and lift together.