Independence Day
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Nelson Mandela
A friend related this wonderful story to me recently and I wanted to share it with you.
The Wolves Inside You
An elder Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me… it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
“This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too”, he added.
The Grandchildren thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied… “The one you feed.”
The point of this story is pretty evident. Look at how you feed your wolves and realize that you have the power at every moment to choose which one you feed.
A few ideas on how to feed the wolf of joy:
- Force yourself to smile. It may sound silly, but try this little exercise however often you can and see how long you can keep smiling regardless of the circumstances. Monitor your mood while you’re doing this. Notice anything?
- When you realize you’re focused on negative thoughts, switch them around to the happiest thoughts you can think of and dwell on those until you feel your mood lighten
- Create and repeat an affirmation mantra as often as you can for as long as you can. Here are some samples: “I’m at peace and full of joy” or “I am happy” or “There is beauty in everything”
- Create a playlist or CD of your favorite uplifting music and listen to it when you’re going through a rough time.
- “Dance as if no one is watching”
- this was a reprint from my July 2008 Newsletter
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