Feed the wolves
After such a long lay-off from our regular routines and “normal”day to day, returning to the real world will bring with it a whole host of new problems and questions.
We have a heap of choices and decisions to make because if you are anything like us, the lockdown has given you a chance to objectively review what you were doing before, what was working, what wasn’t working and most importantly how do you improve it or remove it.
Now I know you’re expecting an answer but you ain’t getting that from me, my failings are unique to me. However I will share something that has helped me. This next concept is from an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life and as always I urge you to take from it what you will.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “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.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you–and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Now what I take from that is two-fold I guess;
1) The Fight is Eternal, the first part of the story is telling us that we can never get rid of the first wolf, the first wolf will always be there. The fight between two wolves is eternal. I’m prone to falling into the trap of trying hard to banish the negative side of myself, because it’s not always pretty trust me. But the truth is that none of us are the perfect finished article.
What we can do is to act in spite of those negative feelings. We can take those fears, those worries, those doubts and move forward anyway. That’s how you feed the second wolf. Imagine if we’re paralyzed by the first wolf, by doing nothing, accomplishing nothing, and getting nowhere. We’d lose the momentum to move forward and indirectly we’d be feeding the very wolf we are trying not to feed.
Small Actions Build Momentum ,one step forward will always be a step ahead even it’s tiny so GO!! Instead of doubting yourself and doing nothing, you can try to learn new things and expand yourself at a slower pace. Instead of focusing on the fears within, start with ONE THING (one of the simple most effective books you can read) you should (and could) do that is right in front of you. Want to lose 10 kg and achieve your fitness goals? Start by walking for 15 minutes a day if you haven’t yet. Then start learning split squats and maybe push-ups with and make slow progress from there.
2) It’s much much easier to feed the first wolf, the first wolf is there to encourage the easier options in life. It’s easier to complain, procrastinate, dismiss, ignore, and give up. There is almost no effort required to do those things, and you’re getting the reward with the sensation of relieving and instant gratification without much action. The second wolf is very different; it’s harder to feed. It’s challenging, tiring and time-consuming to do things like learning, teaching, inspiring, sharing or simply sticking to a new habit. These things take persistence and mental strength. And you don’t usually see immediate results from them.
The curveball no-one expects why we should Feed Both Wolves. “You see there is an alternate route because, if you only choose to feed one wolf, the other wolf will always be around every corner waiting for you to become distracted or weak and attack to get the attention he craves. He will always be angry and will always fight the second wolf. If you acknowledge him, he is happy and the second wolf is happy and everyone eats (wins). The first wolf has many qualities — tenacity, courage, fearlessness, strong-willed that you have need of at times. These are the very things the second wolf lacks. But the second wolf has compassion, caring, strength and the ability to recognise what is in the best interest of all.”
“Feed them both and there will be no more internal struggle for your attention. And when there is no battle inside, you can listen to the voices of deeper knowledge that will guide you in choosing what is right in every circumstance.”
“How you choose to interact with the opposing forces within you will determine your life. Starve one or the other or guide them both.”
