Fuel Your Thoughts Wisely

Grab your sleeping bags, marshmallows, graham crackers, and flashlights. Let me tell you a tale whose origin is unknown but whose meaning is certain. You may have heard this tale before, or, it may be brand new to you. Regardless of the time and place you may have heard it, pay close attention to the intention of this story, as everyone can benefit from it.

This is the tale of an old Cherokee man and his grandson. The grandson was telling his grandfather about an injustice one of his close friends had done to him.

The grandfather looked at his grandson and quietly explained that there is a great battle going on in each of us. It is ongoing and we all get caught up in the fight. This battle is between two wolves.

The first wolf is evil. This wolf represents anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The second wolf is good. This wolf embodies joy, love, peace, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The boy thought for a moment and then asked, “Which wolf wins?” The grandfather responded, “Whichever wolf you feed the most.”

The first time I heard this tale, and even as I revisit it now, I am moved deeply. I get chills down my spine and my stomach flips as I know I can relate to this battle. The battle between what we know is right, and what we want. The battle between what is mediocre and easy, and what is mind-blowing and liberating. It is the battle between living for the moment, and living with for a larger purpose. It is the battle between who you are without effort, and the ‘you’ of your dreams.

This battle impacts every aspect of your life. It is in the arrogant relationships one cyclically finds themselves in because they themselves entertain their low self-esteem. It is the battle displayed in the type of job you stay in and the type of treatment you tolerate while at that job because you simply do not feel you deserve better treatment (it must be karma, right?). The battle gains traction for every act of self-sabotage you choose instead of growing your voice of self-worth and value. The evil wolf howls whenever you take a jab at someone instead of growing your compassion for mankind.

This battle is constant and it is persistent. Just as any living thing, these wolves gain strength the more frequently you decide to fuel them. If you water a plant and ensure it receives the required amount of sunlight, does it not flourish? Yes! This plant grows magnificently and continues to do so until its fuel is diminished. In this same way, if you are to plant a crop in dry soil, subject it to intense heat, and withhold water from it, will it not die? That crop will be gone faster than raw meet around a pack of wolves. We know this, yet, we often fail to recognize the immense power and influence we have over our life outcome, our overall life experience. We so often throw scraps to the evil wolf—self-condemnation, self-pity, self-victimization—that we fail to notice how strong this wolf has become. Once this happens, the good wolf has a much more difficult time keeping the evil wolf at bay.

How do we replenish the good wolf once it has been deprived and beaten for so long? What can we do to unchain ourselves from our own demise?

Feed the good wolf! Feed the good wolf all day, every day. Build conscious awareness of the feeding routine you currently have in place with the evil wolf and start to withhold from him. Even drops of water and crumbs can sustain life! When you want to cry about your broke down car, pull some of that fuel from the evil wolf and feed the good wolf as you acknowledge your blessing for having a vehicle in the first place. When you fail to reach a goal you set for yourself or that was set for you, throw some scraps to the good wolf and choose to see this ‘failure’ as a temporary hurdle, one in which you can learn from to encourage future successes. When you have fallen off of whatever wagon you are trying to stay on for longer than you can remember, start to run! Sprint at that wagon and throw scraps toward the good wolf who is anxiously chasing behind you the entire way. Continue to feed the good wolf with words of encouragement, tenderness, grace, and warmth until that wolf has jumped in front of the wagon and halted it long enough to allow you to ferociously jump back on.

To vibrantly expand the good and fiercely slash the bad, you must be continuously aware of internal dialogue and how that is manifesting outcomes in your spirit, mind, and earthly experiences. You have a choice. At the end of the day, only you can control how you process, experience, and exist in this world- both internally and externally.

Snuggle up in your sleeping bag, enjoy your last bite of that s’more, turn off your flashlight, and ask yourself, “Which wolf will I feed?”

#courage #blessings #fearless #selflove #compassion #battle