Having a Mind of Greatness

Success, accomplishment, winning.
Great things can lead to not-so great attitudes towards others.

From my own observation at agility trials and within the agility community, I have picked out two very opposite attitudes from those who are considered "great", "the best" and "elite".

Type 1: The Humble Winner
The humble winners are the ones who don't drown others in their own successes. They congratulate everybody, reguardless of how their runs really played out. The also are good advice givers. They don't speak a rude word to anyone and try to prove to everyone that we're all great somewhere and we can all get there. They have respect. I call this a "mind of greatness".

Type 2: The Wrong Direction Winner
Why did I choose that name? Well, these are the competitors who tend to push down on others (whether it be inside and/or outside of their friend group). From observation, these people tend to think that they're basically the God/Goddess of agility. The main thing I've seen is that they tend to talk down those who may not have a dog as fast as theirs, may be slower handling wise, and I've even seen them take it publically to a personal level. It's like they're trying to keep everyone below them in a rude and insensitive way; whether it be with insults or embarrassment.

Sadly, I can admit that I see type 2 more than type 1. What's wrong with this picture?
Think to yourself;
Which type gets more/all respect?
How can you improve on your own attitude?
Do you have any goals to becoming a type 1 winner?

Agility is a fun sport and we're all winners in some way. Don't let others get you down; be the better person and set an example for them.

Stay strong. Be positive. Have the mind of greatness.

Goals for 2013?

Well, I never expect much going in to trials, but my goals for 2013 are as follows...

Ace ;
* Get Ace his ATCH.
* Get into all master classes in USDAA.
* Get more involved with AKC and get into "masters" (fka excellent b).

Strike ;
* Continue foundation work.
* Begin equipment training.
*Train at Purina more.
* Have fun!

Bree/Moose ;
* Keep happy and active!

Me ;
*Attend my fall semester at Maryville University for pre-optometry.
* Finish high school strong.
* More scholarships.
* Get an ACT score higher, and that isn't the exact freaking same as my previous too.
* Get a new job @ the hospital.
* Make people happy.
* Stay positive.
* Shadow my optometrist.
* Enjoy summer (maybe go on vacation for the first time in years).
* Remember that no matter what happens, life goes on.

Achievement vs. Expectation

Two words I've seen used interchangeable far too often.

Achievement (n) : A result gained by effort.
Expectation (n) : The act or state of anticipation.

"She met my expectation."
Expressing that your dog met your expecation usually can mean very opposite things. Did you expect success or failure? Why did you expect this outcome? Is it fair to expect it? You expected your dog to Q, but have you considered the variables that home into play on an agility course?

"We achieved our goal."
Expressing that you did in fact set a goal. Goals may not be acquired quickly, as many of us are familiar with. Say you set your goal to be getting a MACH on your 4-year-old dog before the dog retires; you aren't committing yourself to the mindset that you have to get it because you expect it to happen.

Now look back at the quotes. What do you see?

In the expectation quote, it uses words such as "She" and "my". Referring to one or the other teammate. Handler and dog are seperate parts. It'd be silly to say, "we met our expectation", because did your dog expect this? Did she tell you this?

In the achievement quote, you instantly see "we" and "our". Referring to the dog and handler team as a whole.

So...
Is it okay to expect outcomes? That's completely up to you and what you believe. I'm not going to tell you that an opinion is incorrect, but looking further in depth to the word "expectation", is it really fair to use?

I think we should all step back and look at what we're really in this sport for. You're never guaranteed to Q and/or place, therefore if that was you're expectation, you just let yourself down and most likely, you're going to be upset like I see too often at trials.
However, if you set goals to achieve, you can gradually work towards them staying positive and happy with your dog.

Just my random late-night mini rant.