There’s an old Cherokee teaching sometimes referred to as “The Tale of Two Wolves.” The story goes like this:
One evening, an elderly grandfather is telling his grandson about the inner conflict within him.
He says to his grandson, “A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
The grandfather continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
He looked at the grandson and went on, “The same fight is going on inside you, and every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The grandfather replied simply, “The one you feed.”
What comes up for you when you read that story? When you stop to reflect, which one of the two wolves within you have you been feeding more lately?
Have you been feeding the parts of you that lead with gratitude, optimism, empowerment, compassion, peace, and joy? Or have you been fueling the parts of you that embody things like regret, envy, guilt, and resentment?
Today, I invite you to reflect on which wolf you’ve been choosing to put your time, energy, attention, and fuel towards…
And if you haven’t been feeding the parts of you that you’d like to lead the way and thrive, that’s okay! What can you start doing now to nourish those parts more as you move forward?