Was singing this on the golf course yesterday as we saw a double rainbow during a blustery round!!  Click on the thumbnail images below to see the “big picture”…

A different brand of courage is required for someone who doesn’t look the “star” role to do this.  Someone who is not attractive in our society’s usual sense of the word – not thin, perfectly groomed with the latest hairstyle, jewelry, clothing and shoes.  Someone who doesn’t have The Moves.

So when a hopeful contestant like this WOW’s us, we are moved, even to tears.  Why?  Sure, we’re moved because we’re witnessing a huge talent.  But I think we’re also moved because geez, the odds are so stacked against this person in life, based on their appearance and social graces.  Their talent is like having a secret super power.

This video will move you to tears of joy…

17-year old Jonathan Antoine is an amazing talent.  You wouldn’t know it to look at him.  But his duet partner, 16-year old Charlotte Jaconelli, saw what was inside Jonathan and also had the courage to put herself out there with him.  That story is moving, too.  It’s one of loyalty, beauty, achingly beautiful music, friendship and an underdog that makes us believe again.

One of the things I love best about dogs is that they view us as perfect and wonderful, just as we are.  What heavenly grace it is to be so accepted, so fully.  When we glimpse that grace in a human being, even if briefly, it moves us deeply – because it is so rare.

Here’s a video Get Well card to a dear friend in Boulder who’s fighting her way back to radiant health.

KPNW in Eugene, OR (ABC radio network), then the nationally syndicated Frankie Boyer show, then the Kim Pagano show on KKZZ in LA, then the nationally syndicated Richard Stevens show.

Whew!

Commenting on the Time Magazine cover story “Friends with Benefits”, tying that in with my book Wag, Live, Love – What Dogs Teach Us About Happiness and Life and coaching.

In this article from the New York Times blog, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/what-doctors-can-learn-from-musicians/  a Danielle Ofri, a very experienced doctor, shares what she’s learned from being an amateur musician with a great teacher for a coach.

Musicians are passionate about constant improvement, relentless in their quest for excellent coaching, and eager to learn ways to improve.  Dr. Ofri posits whether a similar approach, in particular that of having a coach offer feedback about the “performance” part of medicine, might reignite the passion for learning and improvement doctors felt at the start of their careers.

What do you think?  Is the risk of being vulnerable, having someone else see what’s “under the kimono” worth the payoff of honest feedback and improving your current best?

A big shout-out to Niccolo Casewit in Denver for sharing this article with me.  Niccolo is an architect extraordinaire, passionate violinist and steward of our environment (and a really nice guy, too).

Many thanks to my friends/clients Andrew Sacks, advertising guru and President of Agency Sacks in New York City, and Janis Harwell, Seattle/Nashville strategist and attorney, for sending this article my way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/magazine/wonder-dog.html?src=me&ref=general

Too often, dogs are taken for granted in the world.  Dogs can be fondly viewed as loveable pets by many or viewed as a nuisance by a few cranks. J Still others revere dogs for the work they do, such as herding or sledding.  In my view, not enough importance is placed on the very important work that canines do simply by loving and accepting us human beings exactly as we are.  It is work that no human being has yet been able to surpass or even replicate, though parents come closer than other people.  Many dogs are life savers simply by virtue of the love and happiness they bring to their owners.  Others, like my Samoyeds Rory and Imp, who are registered therapy dogs, are life savers for the joy they bring to people in nursing homes and hospitals.  Imp and Rory were awarded the 2009 Animal Life Saver award for their therapy dog work by the SW Colorado chapter of the American Red Cross.

And service dogs like Chancer in the NY Times article can perform tasks their humans are unable to, such as opening a door, picking up a phone or sensing an oncoming seizure – but their biggest life-saving capacity is in loving their human completely, just as they are.  There is no stronger medicine in the world.

I just did a really fun live radio interview this afternoon with Ken Johannessen of KPQ-AM 560 (Wenatchee, WA) about how dogs were the stars of this year’s Super Bowl ads, and about my book Wag, Live, Love – What Dogs Teach Us About Happiness and Life.

I think Super Bowl advertisers are capitalizing on how dogs easily increase our Happiness Meter,  which opens us up to new messages and ways of being. When I wrote Wag, Live, Love through the eyes of my two Samoyeds Tasja and Magellan, I chose their voices because while we might not resonate with a person for any number of reasons (age, gender, etc), dogs resonate with most people.  They make us feel warm and fuzzy, which makes us feel happier, which opens us up to new learning and possibilities.  And the sweetness and innocence of our dogs inspire us to be better humans – as in “I’m trying to be the person my dog thinks I am.”  I think that’s incredibly important – to be inspired to be our best – on a regular basis.

A client of mine who’s a NY Ad agency CEO said that “last yr’s commercial’s had so much frat humor, this year’s dog stars are a backlash toward something more memorable, emotional.  Brands do best when they make an emotional connection, and dogs help us make an emotional connection.”

I think another factor in the mind of advertisers is that  Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl, which is run during the Super Bowl and then “looped” for 12 continuous hours, drew 1.7MM viewers during the game in 2011 and 9.2MM cumulative viewers, according to the Huffington Post and Washington Post.  That’s a lot of people potential watching the Puppy Bowl instead of Super Bowl ads – so why not compete with their own “awww” factor? Dogs catch our eyes and capture our hearts.  They are an Instant Trust Factor.

My favorite this year was the  Volkswagen ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9EYFJ4Clo
Bolt the dog shows us our humanity.  We may have gotten a bit overweight and out of shape – but like Bolt, the St. Bernard mix, we can be “Back – better than ever.”  Bolt can no longer fit through his dog door – the equivalent of “I can’t fit into my fat jeans” and he’s sad.  But then he triumphs with exercise, and so it moves us and inspires us.  He feels good and WE feel good, which opens us up to the VW message of “Back – better than ever.”

When we read a book like Wag, Live, Love, attend a motivational talk or hire a coach – we’re wanting to be inspired, to learn, to get happier and move toward our best potential.  I think the “secret sauce” of benefiting from dog relationships is learning to observe (and then apply to our own lives) how THEY wake up and go to bed happy every day.

Rory, Imp and Linc’s Happiness Meters are generally high and it’s easy to move the needle up, too.  A session of play, a walk, a cookie or a ride always move the meter up!  And a new toy?  You know it.  Here’s Rory having his way with the Giant Monkey we got at a holiday party.

It was filmed at the Toronto Eaton Centre after only one 6 hour rehearsal.

Click on the image to play the YouTube Video

Kim’s goal is to  reach 1,000,000 viewers – please help her reach her goal and pass this on to all the amazing women in your life.