Duder says, “It’s a good day for a run.”

At forty-nine years old, Jeff "Dude" Goodrich, like many people do later in life, felt like he couldn't make the necessary changes for health and happiness on his own, so he got a little help from his new puppy, Duder. Together, they were able to get Dude's life back on track, and after his firsthand experience with this type of transformation, Dude has taken to sharing his story in hopes that others can learn from it as well.

Here’s an excerpt from Dude & Duder: How My Dog Saved My Life. From the chapter “Life is What You Make It.”

 The basic premise of this book is a very simple one that has taken me many years to appreciate.

“Life is what you make it.”

This concept applies to what you do, how you think, how you feel, how you respond, how you react, how you succeed, how you fail, how you process, how you treat others, and how you live and grow.

Every moment of every day, we make choices. Every choice we make defines who we are. A great line from the song “Freewill” by the group Rush sums this up: “If you choose not to decide, you have still made a choice.”

A common theme I have heard from many inspiring people is to make choices for our future self. I had to truly get into the habit of considering the impact and fallout of my choices before making them. If I felt compelled to do something, I had to stop and ask if my future self would be happy about it. This simple idea had a big impact.

Life is what you make it, by the choices we make.

Every day is a new adventure, and Duder, Daisy, and Roxie have all taught me to truly appreciate this concept.

Click here to order your copy of Dude & Duder: How My Dog Saved My Life.