Feed The Right Wolf
Being human and trying to have a work/life balance striving to be better people in our home and work lives creates an environment and mindset that is ideal for 2 four letter words to thrive.
SHOULD and ENOUGH.
I SHOULD have fixed dinner, I SHOULD be spending more time with my kids, husband, pets, I SHOULD be able to fit it all in, I SHOULD be up for a raise, I SHOULD have gone to the gym, I SHOULD work a few more hours, I SHOULD be doing laundry...I could go on but you get the point.
And then there is the other one. Not good ENOUGH, not ENOUGH time, not ENOUGH patience, not ENOUGH respect, not ENOUGH fun, not ENOUGH accomplished, not ENOUGH money, not ENOUGH laughter, not ENOUGH communication, this list goes on and on as well.
So the challenge becomes...how do we strive for progress and not allow ourselves to get stuck where we are without allowing these words to take over. If we feel we are good enough how we are, is there any reason to try for more? If we don't tell ourselves we should, do we lose all responsibility for taking that next step?
Is there a balance to be had or should these words be abolished from our vocabularies forever?
I vote we abolish them!!! Change what we focus on to get to the next step and find the progress. I vote we start being kinder to ourselves and get out of our own way. I vote we tell ourselves things are exactly as the are supposed to be today. I vote we add words of being GRATEFUL and PLEASED into how we speak to ourselves.
Instead of should and enough, let's replace them with...it would be NICE to spend more time at home and I ENJOY the time we do get together, it would be FUN to get the gym and I APPRECIATE that we can maintain the membership, it would be COOL to get a raise and I LOVE how creative we are in making ends meet now, it would be AWESOME to get all the laundry done today and I'm so THANKFUL to have a washer and dryer at home.
The words should and enough feed the wrong wolf!
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A Cherokee Legend
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 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 is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on 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."
SHOULD and ENOUGH.
I SHOULD have fixed dinner, I SHOULD be spending more time with my kids, husband, pets, I SHOULD be able to fit it all in, I SHOULD be up for a raise, I SHOULD have gone to the gym, I SHOULD work a few more hours, I SHOULD be doing laundry...I could go on but you get the point.
And then there is the other one. Not good ENOUGH, not ENOUGH time, not ENOUGH patience, not ENOUGH respect, not ENOUGH fun, not ENOUGH accomplished, not ENOUGH money, not ENOUGH laughter, not ENOUGH communication, this list goes on and on as well.
So the challenge becomes...how do we strive for progress and not allow ourselves to get stuck where we are without allowing these words to take over. If we feel we are good enough how we are, is there any reason to try for more? If we don't tell ourselves we should, do we lose all responsibility for taking that next step?
Is there a balance to be had or should these words be abolished from our vocabularies forever?
I vote we abolish them!!! Change what we focus on to get to the next step and find the progress. I vote we start being kinder to ourselves and get out of our own way. I vote we tell ourselves things are exactly as the are supposed to be today. I vote we add words of being GRATEFUL and PLEASED into how we speak to ourselves.
Instead of should and enough, let's replace them with...it would be NICE to spend more time at home and I ENJOY the time we do get together, it would be FUN to get the gym and I APPRECIATE that we can maintain the membership, it would be COOL to get a raise and I LOVE how creative we are in making ends meet now, it would be AWESOME to get all the laundry done today and I'm so THANKFUL to have a washer and dryer at home.
The words should and enough feed the wrong wolf!
__________________________________________________________________________
A Cherokee Legend
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 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 is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on 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."