The Two Wolves

You know me and my metaphors – please let me share an ancient Native American one. 

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice; "Let me tell you a story.  I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy.  It's like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die.

"I have struggled with these feelings many times.

"It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm.  He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

“But...the other wolf... ah!  The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great.

“It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.  Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."

Which wolf are you choosing to feed?

Limiting Words

Besides choosing which wolf you’re going to feed, it’s important to choose words that will empower you and help you shift your way of being in the world.  Our subconscious mind is listening intently to the words we speak, and takes them all quite literally.  For instance, if you’re always saying, “I know I’m not going to get my work done today,” guess what?  You’ve just effectively programmed yourself to come up short – and you definitely will.

It’s the same with saying limiting words like, “I have just enough money to squeak by.”  Guess who’ll be squeaking all the way to the pawn shop?

As you start to BOOM Think through the beliefs and habits that have limited you in the past, it’s time to BOOM the old language that kept your feet to the fire, too.  Here’s a handy chart to help you speak in the language of positive, powerful change, and deflect a bunch of BOOM Boomerangs in the process.