Wag More, Bark Less
by April Osteen Simons
I have an inspiration room. Well, technically, it’s my study. It’s where I go to write and work. It’s one of my favorite spaces. On one wall it’s filled with TONS of inspirational quotes that I absolutely LOVE. On the other wall, there’s a display of my favorite shoes! Hey, don’t judge me…I can’t help it that shoes inspire me too!
Whenever I’m writing or working, I often find myself staring at my walls. I love how my surroundings inspire me. They make me happy. They motivate me to do more and be more and live a life that is more than just ordinary.
I’ve tried to take pictures of the space, but I never can get a good angle and the photos just don’t do it justice.
Finally, it hit me…
…Just because you can’t see my walls doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t bring you into my world. So that’s what I’ve decided to do. Today I want to take a bit of inspiration from my wall and share it with you. I hope and pray my walls encourage you and inspire your life in some sort of way. My goal is always to bring life and cheer people on.
So, here we go. IF MY WALLS COULD TALK, this is what they would say:
Wag More. Bark Less.
What does that mean to me? Well, maybe…just maybe it kind of means to stop complaining about everything. (You still love me, right!) BARK LESS. Love more. Bark less. Be kind. Be considerate. Be a joy to be around! I say it all of the time, instead of focusing on everything that’s going WRONG in your life, begin to focus on what’s going RIGHT!
WAG MORE!
Hey let’s face it-complaining is just announcing areas in our life the enemy has been successful. Ooh, don’t do that! There’s too much good that goes unnoticed. BEGIN TO NOTICE THE GOOD!
Instead of finding the negative in people, FIND THE POSITIVE. Instead of telling your spouse or child or family member everything they are doing wrong, find the one teeny weeny thing they are doing right and then MAGNIFY THE RIGHT THING! Oh, that is so good! (I like my own stuff!)
The truth is, YOU are entirely up to YOU!
When our dog, Missy, was just a puppy I noticed something different about her. Every time I came home from somewhere, she and our dog, Trevor, would meet me at the door. Trevor would be so happy, barking and wagging his tail, jumping up on me wanting all of my attention. But Missy, on the other hand, just came to the door and looked at me with somewhat of a puzzled look. She just stood there doing nothing.
Honestly, I didn’t tell anyone, but I was so concerned. Every time I would come home I noticed how she didn’t bark, she didn’t jump up on me and most importantly, she didn’t wag her tail! To me, when a dog wags their tail, that means they’re HAPPY! (OK don’t tell me if I’m wrong!) I felt so bad that Missy wasn’t happy.
This went on for about 9 months. Every time I walked through the door to our house I looked eagerly for Missy to wag her tail. Finally, one day, I came home and guess what? Not only was Trevor happy and barking and jumping, BUT MISSY WAS TOO! AND SHE WAS WAGGING HER CUTE LITTLE STUBBY TAIL!
I was so happy! It was like little Missy had her breakthrough! Ha! You know why? MISSY FOUND HER WAG! YAY!
So you may be asking, what does Missy and her tail have to do with me?
I’m glad you asked.
Drum roll, please…You need to FIND YOUR WAG! Find your happy, your purpose, your place, your motivation, your reason for being alive!
GET YOUR WAG BACK!
Hey, life gets overwhelming. It’s easy to get stressed and it’s easy to complain. Let me and my walls encourage you to not get caught up in the chaos. Stay calm. Take a breather. Listen to some happy music. Don’t watch something depressing on tv. Love those around you. Put on your favorite shoes AND GET THAT WAG GOING FOR YOU. The truth is, you woke up this morning, you’re still breathing, God has a plan and YOU, my friend, have a purpose.
On top of all that, WAGGING is more fun! WAGGING makes others WANT to be around you. WAGGING makes the whole room light up. WAGGING makes for a joyful home and a joy-filled life.
Life is as good as your attitude. Proverbs says, A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. When you find your wag, it causes you to have a whole different outlook on life. It sets you up for success.
Listen, life is too good not to enjoy it. From my walls to you–Stay cheerful. Stay hopeful and keep on wagging!
April XOXO
If there’s one word to describe April it is “Encourager.” In a world filled with negativity and hopelessness, she brings an inspiring message of hope and life that helps you deal with the demands and challenges of everyday living. 
