There is a great Cherokee Indian legend, The story of the Two Wolves.
It illustrates the most important battle we have in our minds every day – the battle between our good and bad thoughts and what we choose to believe.
Our thoughts and what we believe can be our own worst enemy. That is if we let them. Think about how you may be "feeding" your negative thoughts or how someone else's opinion of you is allowing them to rule your mind.
Here is how the story goes:
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 wolf 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 wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The same fight is happening 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."
Next time you have a negative thought, catch it and ask yourself, "What is this thought doing for me?" You will find that the answer is that all they are doing is disempowering you.
You can immediately feel more empowered by focusing on something good in your life and cultivate the practice of gratitude.
