Let's back up to the training of Emily, our treewalker hound dog. Emily was rescued from a research lab where she was involved in drug studies. I don't know what kind of drug studies but she doesn't seem too crazy, so I expect the studies were... safe. In other words, drugs that didn't alter her in any significant way. She's a great dog! A bit hyper, but that's just the puppy in her.

That said - she has a long way to go before we can mosey out and about without the challenge of having her drag me around! Emily wants what Emily wants (that rabbit, that prairie dog, that leaf...whatever!) and no mere human woman is going to stand in her way! Oh my!

Until recently, my reaction to Emily's pulling me along the path was to admonish her, pull back on the leash, struggle to keep up, and just be frustrated over and over. "Emily, stop!" I would say sharply, while pulling back on the leash. "Emily, no pulling!" I would grit, over and over. "Emily, you can't chase the rabbit!" I would shout, as she ran off to chase the rabbit, with me in tow.

No doubt we provided the morning's entertainment for the neighbors. However, as time went on, it was clear that I had to take charge. After all, Emily is a dog. She's not my boss. She's not my mom. She's not one of my kids. She's a dog.

I began to read up on how to walk with your dog, without their pulling on the leash. The obvious struck me with full force: Pulling takes two. The dog cannot pull if you do not move with her.

If you (me) stand your (my) ground, there is no pulling. If the dog realizes that pulling will result in stopping - she will learn to walk by your side. (yes, it's more complicated than that but this is a start)

When teaching a dog to walk by your side, instead of pulling you along the walk, you must stop walking when the dog pulls. You must stand in place and wait for the dog to acknowledge you - by looking up. Then, you may proceed. Every time the dog pulls, you stop. You wait. The dog wonders why you've stopped. Looks up for a clue. You move on... and so on. Start once, repeat as necessary.

So it is with life running away with you. I feel that way a lot. I feel as if I'm being tugged in too many directions. I feel as if the 10 great opportunities people have emailed me about are fantastic and if I don't take advantage of all of them, I'll miss out, somehow. I'll fail. I'll look back and wish I'd taken that opportunity - even though it's too time consuming and I have plenty of other projects to keep me busy.

Does that sound like you? Are you afraid you'll "miss out" on something if you turn down invitations  to learn about a friend's new business, join in a project, be part of a mastermind group? What you need to do is stop and think about the alternative - what can you do with the time you would spend answering all those emails? What would you do with the great ideas other people want you to share, for free? How much time do you really have to do everything you need to do?

The world can't run away with you if you let go of the rope.

Emily is learning that pulling gets her nowhere. Seriously. When she pulls, we stop walking.

When the world starts running away with you, let it go - let it run away, without you. Stay where you are and do what needs doing. You can catch up, later. Trust me.