The Story of Two Wolves
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “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.”
When counselling clients on mindset this story is an ideal representation of how “feeding” our minds with negative thoughts can bring out the worst in ourselves. Even though it is normal to think negatively, if we consistently fuel ourselves with disempowering thoughts, then envy, greed, arrogance, anger, and self-pity, as the story says, take over our lives. On the other hand, positive thinking fuels the goodness within us. We then exude joy, peace, hope, kindness, and love.
By consciously directing our thoughts and shifting our mindset we can shape life in the direction we want it to go.
The Sky is Always Blue
A spiritual teacher from India once said that there is no such thing as a grey sky. The sky is always blue. Sometimes, however, grey clouds come and cover the blue sky. We then think the sky is grey. It is the same with our minds. Our fearful patterns and dysfunctional habits take hold within our minds and cover our perfection, but only temporarily. There has never been a storm that hasn’t passed. Grey clouds don’t last forever. The blue sky does.
This story is a reminder that trials, tribulations and challenges are only temporary, they do not last forever. It is a message of hope. As human beings when faced with challenges we often refuse to see beyond the limitations of our immediate environment.