How To Create Behavior Change: Story of Two Wolves
I wasn't able to locate the original author of this amazing little story about choosing movement toward evil or toward good; however, it appears to be rooted in the Native American tradition of storytelling as a means to provide younger generations important lessons about life.
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. He said, “There's a war raging inside of me. A war between two wolves. One wolf is evil – he is greed, sorrow, envy anger, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, false pride, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and everyone else, too.”
The grandson thought for a moment and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old man simply replied, “Whichever wolf you feed.”
And, that's how it is for all of us. We get to chose every single day which wolf we will feed. Think about your goals - where you want to be. Every time you make a decision that is in line with and moving you closer to that goal, you are making the decision to feed the good wolf, which makes him stronger!
Another important part to remember: Inaction or not taking steps, is feeding the bad wolf.
So, what are you going to do today to feed your good wolf?
