Which One Do You Feed?
I woke up on Friday morning excited to be in the North Carolina mountains. I started thinking about the promise I made to myself that I would go hiking over the weekend. I looked at the temperature and it was 36 degrees. My mind was telling me to go back to bed and stay warm, watch TV, read a book, don’t go out. The other side of my brain said: "you love to hike in the mountains, you brought warm clothes and have everything that you need to be comfortable."
So, I slowly moved downstairs and made myself a warm breakfast of oatmeal. While enjoying my breakfast, I listened to both sides of my brain pondering the pros and cons of going outside in the cold. Slowly, I put on my hiking boots, two layers of clothes and headed out the door.
I hiked, listened to birds chirping and pondered how one part of our brain is always the encourager, the cheerleader and the other—well, it can be the discourager or the “naysayer”. I started to think about a popular legend by an unknown author titled "The Tale of Two Wolves", a story about inner conflict, which says:
One evening, an elderly Cherokee man told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside every single person.
He said, “My son, there is a battle 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 moment and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old man simply replied, “The one that you feed.”
An hour into my hike, my husband met me at the bottom of the mountain.
I thought about the two wolves and was happy that I chose to feed the good wolf and feel serenity, joy, and compassion for myself in the moment as I kept my commitment to me.
Are you struggling with listening to two stories in your brain? Are you weighing the pros and cons of something important and not yet sure which one to feed?
If you want to discuss how to control your brain and which thoughts to choose, click the link below to book a free 45 minute session and discover how life coaching can help you weigh your decisions and decide which one to feed.
