We all do from time to time, but we often shy away from making the decision because it is hard. Change is hard. Letting something go is hard, even when we know it is the right thing to do.

For example, most smokers find smoking hard to give up even though it is incredibly bad for them. Some never manage it. Change is hard right? Letting go is hard.

And when the thing you are letting go of is a person – it can be even harder. How many people stay in abusive relationships when they know they should walk away? How many have toxic ‘friendships’ that don’t serve them.

Well, today I had to make the biggest decision of my life. I had to let my beloved Staffy, “Ozzy Dog”, go. He was 14, and had not been well for some time, and there have been a few times in the last 6 months that we thought we had lost him…and then he bounced back, full of life and mischief.

He was a truly loved member of our family and brought companionship, fun and joy to our lives. He was an excuse to go for walks and keep active, a comfort after a tough day, and always brought a smile with his comical ways despite his increasingly smelly farts! He was our ‘child’ since we don’t have actual children.

When a pet dies it is normal to feel a profound sense of grief and loss, especially when you have had them for a long time. I knew that it would be hard, and it’s not like we weren’t expecting it, but I wasn’t prepared. Intellectually I thought I was, but I had under-estimated the impact of the finality of saying goodbye.

Don’t get me wrong – it was the right decision. He hadn’t been in pain, the drugs took care of that – but they also made him almost comatose much of the time, and the rest of the time he was dragging himself around on failing back legs, or being carried back from our short walks. That’s no life for a dog. Dogs are supposed to run, bark, wag their tails, and experience life to the full until it is time to sleep.

So, a decision had to be made. Which happens in life.

A question I often ask people who want to make a change in their life is ‘How long will you carry on doing something that makes you sad/ill/frustrated?’ How long can you go on accepting the unacceptable before you have to make the right decision, the decision to change your partner / job / ditch the negative people?

Because if you don’t follow where you need to go, if you don’t make the hard but right decisions, then you are not being true to you, not being who you were put on this earth to be, the You that should Live, Love and Laugh everyday. And sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. You have to make tough decisions to be truly kind to yourself.

And here’s the thing, you can’t always make those decisions on your own and you DON’T have to do it alone. Even though I had to make the decision today, I have people who love me, helping me to know I made the right (very tough) decision.

And I have no regrets. Ozzy had the best life a dog can have, he had many people who loved him – from Doug who walked him for 13 years, my family, lots of kids up the street and in the local area, my friends …the list goes on. And everyone got a chance to say goodbye and shed a tear. He made the most of his life. No regrets.

If you want to make the most of YOUR life and if you want to be supported through a change that you want to make, and, if you feel it is time to make those tough decisions, whatever they are for you – then please, reach out and get some support – cheryl@cheryl-chapman.com

And for now, I will just say, please do Live, Love and Laugh every day. Make the tough decisions. Do the right thing…for you.

RIP Ozzy Dog x