Treat Yourself Like a Puppy

Read time: 2 minutes

People always ask me:

And what I tell them every single time is…

It's not about motivation.

Why?

Because motivation is a fleeting feeling.

It’s a mood that comes and goes. If you rely on it, you’ll notice your results will come and go just as quickly.

What I’ve learned — through trial, error, and frustration — is that discipline is the key to lasting results.

Unlike motivation, discipline isn’t about feelings.

It’s a muscle you build. It’s purely about commitment. A choice you make every single day, no matter how you feel.

But here’s the thing:

Discipline doesn’t just happen on its own.

You can’t flip a switch and expect it to appear.

Building discipline starts with intentionality.

It starts with bringing things to your awareness and allowing yourself to truly notice what needs to change.

Most people approach self-improvement with judgment.

They criticize themselves for not being good enough or not doing enough.

But that’s not how you grow.

When I work one-on-one with my clients, I often ask them this question:

The answer is always the same:

• “I’d be in better shape."

• “I’d finally be closer to the life I dream of living.”

• “I’d have more time to focus on the things that matter."

And they’re right.

If you showed yourself the same patience, compassion, and grace you show others, imagine how much more you could accomplish.

Here’s the truth:

Self-improvement isn’t about judging yourself. It’s about noticing.

It’s about bringing your patterns and habits into awareness so you can make better choices moving forward.

Let me give you an example that you'll remember for life.

If a little puppy makes a mess in your house, you wouldn’t get mad or judge them (at least, I would hope not).

You’d clean up the mess, show them what went wrong, and gently guide them to do better next time.

Why?

Because they don’t know any better. They’re not making a mess to upset you or to ruin your day — they’re just unaware.

Nobody taught them the rules yet.

The same goes for babies. When a baby cries, spits up, or makes a mess, you don’t take it personally. They don’t know any better.

They’re uninformed, unaware, and still learning.

And this is exactly how it works for you.

• The habits you don’t love about yourself?

• The mistakes you’ve made?

• The areas where you’ve fallen short?

They weren’t done out of spite or failure — they happened because you didn’t know better.

You were simply unaware.

You don’t know what you don’t know.

As such, you can’t judge someone for what they don’t know, and that includes yourself.

If anything, judgment may only become relevant after awareness.

Once you know better, it’s your responsibility to do better.

But before that? It’s not about criticism — it’s about compassion and curiosity.

The message I want you to take away from this letter is simple:

• Treat yourself with compassion.

• Bring awareness to your choices.

• And most importantly, be intentional.

Discipline doesn’t come from beating yourself up.

It comes from noticing, adjusting, and committing to do better each day.

Start there.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Saturday & Much Love,

Julian