Hey dupa

You ever feel like setting boundaries is a battle? Like the more you push, the more resistance you get?

I’ve been learning a lot about this from my puppy.

You see, when I first got him, I was dealing with his habit of trying to eat cat litter.

Gross, I know, but when I’d yell at him to stop, it didn’t work.

If anything, he just got more excited and ran around more.

That’s when I realized something important:

A clear boundary isn’t the same as a loud one.

Instead of raising my voice, I started using a calm, determined approach.

When he’d go for the cat litter, I’d give him a stern “no” and walk toward him slowly - like the Terminator.

Eventually, he realized that when I walked toward him, he couldn’t escape the inevitable:

I'd grab his collar and calmly take what he had in his mouth (if i could get it before he swallowed it).

No noise, just reliable consequence.

At first he’d try to get away.

But after just a few tries, he’s responding just to the verbal “no.”

It’s the same with people.

When you set boundaries calmly and confidently, they’re felt, not just heard.

It’s not about being loud or aggressive…

It’s about enforcing the boundary with clear, consistent action.

For example, if someone keeps crossing a line with you, you don’t need to yell, or repeat yourself a hundred times.

Just say, “If you continue doing this, I’m going to leave,” and then do it.

Walk away with confidence.

Sometimes, it's the calmest approach that has the most power.

Talk soon,
Charlie