5 Profound Life Lessons I Learned from My Dog
By Ashwin Gulati
I’m an entrepreneur and business executive. I help founders and leadership teams navigate the chaotic highs and crushing lows of launching and growing a company. I’m their guide, ally, and sometimes, the one who says when it’s time to adapt, pivot or pack it in. And I have my own guide and ally to help me stay grounded in the whirlwind — who happens to be my dog, Rex.
Rex is a German Shepherd. He doesn’t read balance sheets, negotiate deals, or pitch investors. But he’s taught me more about leadership, resilience, and trust than any business book ever could. He’s the ultimate coach, therapist and advisor. He sometimes feels like my spiritual leader.
My wife, a lifelong fan of German Shepherds, found him through a rescue organization. He was emaciated, neglected, and had been accused of attacking a sheep, though there was absolutely no proof. He needed a second chance and a fresh start. I was in Japan on business when she showed me his picture over Skype, bracing for me to persuade her to not bring him home. Instead, for some unexplainable reason, I said yes. It was as if something deep inside me made the decision for me. When I was a boy in India, my father had a saying. “Mathe ke lakheer,” he’d tell me as he traced his thumb across my brow. It means our destiny is inscribed on our foreheads — that to some extent, our path is pre-determined. Perhaps it was with Rex.
Was Rex guilty of the attack? I doubt it. For a while we lived on a farm, filled with chickens, ducks, goats, and sheep, and Rex got along happily with everyone. As for children, he has incredible patience. Elementary school kids came for day camp there and he let them pull on his ears, basking in the attention of countless tiny hands.
Now he’s been with us for nine years. I’ve had deep bonds with all my dogs, but Rex is different. And to this day, my wife jokes that my immediate acceptance of Rex was an out-of-body experience brought on by some cosmic force to teach me life lessons. And so he does.
Be Present — Every Morning, Every Day
Rex and I have a ritual we do every single morning. It’s one he started, not me. He waits for me at the bottom of the stairs. When I get down the steps, I hold both his paws, kiss his long nose, and then he stretches, locking eyes with me for a brief, knowing moment. We listen to each other’s breathing. We’re both fully there, entirely mindful of each other’s presence. Then, finally, he lets out a weighty sigh, as if to say, Ok, finished now.
“Want to go outside?” I ask.
His ears shoot up like lightning rods. He grabs his stuffed penguin and sprints to the door. After taking care of business, he scans the fence for squirrels. But he doesn’t chase them — he knows their time will come. He never stresses over anything beyond his control, including the squirrels. He reminds me to stay in the moment and focus on what I can actually control, not what I can’t. In the world of startups, there are so many factors you can’t control. What a relief to let them go.
Don’t Overthink It
If Rex could talk, he’d be the ultimate life coach. He knows how to navigate life’s highs and lows, using his intelligence to make quick decisions without overthinking them. Then he moves forward — without regrets.
Rex may not understand financial projections or business analytics, but he knows what truly matters — the gift of being alive, the importance of human connection, and the value of the moment. His happiness — his positivity — is infectious. It shifts the mindsets of everyone around him to treat concerns lightly and focus on moving on instead. When I can, I apply that same attitude in the business realm. Remarkably, it often works. When you don’t mire yourself in every concern, sometimes you can see the bigger picture far more clearly.
Learn to Let Go
I know for a fact that Rex had a traumatic past. I remember how thin he was, how obviously mistreated. It would be understandable if he still had some issues. But he doesn’t let his past dictate his present. His life is good now — so why ruin it by lugging all that old baggage with him? Unlike humans, he’s happy to let it go.
What happens when he does? He gets to experience the happiness of life. I toss a tennis ball, and he chases it with unbridled relish — leaping over the Buddha statue in our yard. I think he knows the point isn’t the ball itself, but the thrill and energy of the chase, and the pure, unfiltered joy of being alive.
Shedding the baggage of whatever happened in the past is a powerful lesson for all of us. I’ve stepped into conversations going south over past resentments — particularly between startup founders — and reminded them that all the time they’re digging up the past is preventing them from dealing with the present, which is really all we have the capacity to do.
Be There for Others
When I was writing Soul Venture, Rex decided, in his own way, to be there for me. If I struggled with writer’s block or had trouble with wording, there he’d be. It was very subtle, but I know he sensed my stress. He could be all the way across the yard and suddenly he’d quietly walk over and sit beside me, offering silent reassurance. It was always at exactly the right time.
Clearly, he was attuned to me. He could be chewing on his favorite squeaky toy and he’d stop at the very moment I would be fighting discouragement or wondering if I would ever finish. And he’d just give me a look, as if to say, I see you. Everything will be all right. Just keep going. He takes his allyship seriously and demonstrates support. It’s something I try to do more of all the time.
Choose Joy
It may seem unconventional for an entrepreneur to emphasize joy over, say, due diligence. But there’s always plenty of due diligence to be done — and yes, you should to do it, and likely to more of an extent than you even realize. Still, you need joy to offset the incredible amount of stress you’re going to be experience in your life, and likely, in your work, no matter what you’re doing. Whenever I’m frustrated or overwhelmed, I only need to come home to be reminded of what truly matters.
The second I slip my key into the door, I hear Rex’s trot on the hardwood floors turn into a gallop. I open the door and there he is: eyes beaming, tail wagging like a windshield wiper, ears tilted back in sheer excitement. He’ll snake his long body around my legs, side to side, like he’s trying to wrap me in a hug. There’s no reservation and no hesitation in his happiness. Instantly, my stress fades away.
Who Got Rescued?
Sometimes, I get the feeling Rex is waiting for us to catch up—to stop overcomplicating things, to calm down, to be happy. He may allow us to believe we’re the more evolved beings, but deep down, I think he understands more than we ever will. He’s a bit like a superhero, iconic and ever-present. In the morning as I pull my car out of the driveway, I see his ears perked up through the front window shades, like Batman on watch. He never seems to carry his burdens or hold grudges. He simply wags them away, ready to embrace whatever comes next. And he’s always there for me. It sometimes makes me wonder who really got rescued here.
So when life feels overwhelming — when business is on the brink, when family is under stress, when everything seems difficult — I know exactly what to do.
I let Rex take me for a walk.
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Ashwin Gulati has launched international ventures, helped start-ups take off or land, and copiloted complex transitions for over 100 companies in various industries in the UK, US, Spain, and France. With 30 years in the trenches, he has identified the hidden pitfalls, unspoken truths, and personal twists that ultimately determine a venture’s success or failure. He holds a BA in Economics and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College and studied at King’s College and the London School of Economics. His new book is Soul Venture: A True Life and Death Journey into the Startup Culture. Learn more at www.soulventurebook.com
