The Dog Star: Hard vs. Smart
(The Dog Star is a symbol of power, will, and steadfastness of purpose, and exemplifies the One who has succeeded in bridging the lower and higher consciousness. – Astrological Definition)
Koufax waits for Buddy Beagle to come through a gate—any gate—and then pounces on him. Buddy, realizing this, fakes his entrances until he thinks Koufax is bored or not looking. Koufax, in turn, pretends to be looking elsewhere—well, you get the idea.
So it was that Buddy ran into the pool area through the gate from the backyard and Koufax whipped around to chase him. Buddy motored around the periphery of the pool, low center of gravity, great on the turns, and clearance underthe diving board. By the time he was halfway around, Koufax had stopped, watched the beagle’s progress, and simply reversed his course to cream him as Buddy came full tilt, tongue hanging out, around the final turn to his starting point. Buddy was intense, focusing on his escape strategy (run like a crazy person) while Koufax took time to size up the overall lay of the land. When you run in a circle, you always return to the same starting point.
It’s always better to work smart, not hard. That must be how German shepherds could take care of so many sheep by themselves. Those sheep are undoubtedly not as smart as Buddy.
Are you intent on your daily routine? Do you use the same “formulas” to deal with clients, prospects, and peers? Do you wind up wasting time and energy because you’re not taking more of an overview and looking at the topography? Tenacious is admirable, tendentious is not. Just because you’re running full tilt doesn’t mean you’re making progress.
In fact, you might be running right into the jaws of a much larger dog.
© Alan Weiss 2009. All rights reserved.
