Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee grandfather told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

~author unknown

While sitting in a coffee shop I had a conversation with a man who told me about his life. He said that he was divorced, with little money left. He proceeded to blame his ex-wife for all of his misfortunes. “She is a control freak; she made me feel less than a man” was his song. As a result, he said that he had a lot of anger and rage built up inside of him. 

He was feeding his inner evil wolf with self-pity, resentment, sorrow, regret, and anger. The evil wolf inside him is ravenous with an insatiable appetite. The battle is raging inside of him and the wolf howls for more.

I began to have a different conversation with him that went something like this: Do you believe you can make a different choice in how you respond? He said yes. I challenged him to focus on his strengths, skills, and his ability to rise above his past and create a new future. I believe I helped him make some headway on turning his attitude around, but only time will tell.

Which wolf are you feeding? I hope it is the good wolf that feeds on joy, peace, kindness and love. When you allow the good things of life to fill your inner being, it is unbelievable how strong and hopeful you will begin to feel. If the wolf inside you is full of negativity, feed the other wolf. 

The choice is yours.