K.I.S.S. - How this little acronym serves me well

I can't do "complicated". Anything. I'm pretty sure that this has to do with the way that my brain works. Regardless, I think that following this one simple trick in all things has served me so well, and proliferated much of my success and kept me on the right track: Keep It Simple, Silly. (K.I.S.S. - for short) It's kept me organized, level-headed, focused and most of all - motivated.

Having K.I.S.S as my mantra has been invaluable. I've put it to use at home, in training my dogs and in my business. The bare-bones nature of K.I.S.S. in the latter case, has helped me maintain what my core philosophy in my business is, and why I started it in the first place.

I love animals - dogs, cats, lizards, you name it, and I love caring for them. I'm good at it, which helps and I found a way to do it as a living. It allows me to be home with my own pets more, which is probably one of the most important aspects about it.

It's a successful business because I keep in mind why I'm doing it, and why I started. It's thriving, busy with appointments, but not so much that I cannot be mindful of each pet that I care for. The way that I've mindfully structured the business has been with K.I.S.S. in mind, too. In doing that, there is no need to hire others, no extra paperwork or worrying about the quality of service that's being given. K.I.S.S. has allowed me to have great communiation with my clients when I'm "on" or "off" the clock. The philosophy is one that works for my clients, too. They like the simplistic, personal way that their pets are cared for - and I can tend to those little emergencies that occur, like last night: there was a bat that had gotten into the house, and I managed to get things under control quickly. Things like this happen all of the time in my business, so keeping things simple is key.

This mindset is such that I can be home more to tend to things there. Simplify, simplify, simplify. I can get things done. Life is enjoyable. Of course, things still get a little hectic at times, but overall, everything is still managable; fun. And, I stay motivated and can look ahead when I need to.


Lorrie Shaw is a regular pets contributor on AnnArbor.com, pet blogger on More Than Four Walls and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. She frequently writes about the fascinating bond between animals and humans as well as other social issues connected to animals. She welcomes your contact by e-mail.