A CEO I am working with expressed a comment that really got me thinking.
He shared,
“I don’t get it sometimes. One day I am a king and the next day a chump.”
How does this happen to us? What do we or others feed our minds that allows this to happen?
Feed Me
Life is filled with paradox: praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and pain. Within each of us is the capacity for creating heaven or hell. This story about two wolves reminds us that in every moment that choice is up to us:
An elder Cherokee 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 the inside of every other person too.”
They thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather, “which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee replied simply, “the one you feed.”
On What You Focus
Are you half-full or half-empty? We all have “lack thoughts.” It is when we give them our attention; when we focus on our problems when the universe sends more of the same.
When we shift our focus to the positive we raise our consciousness. All great blessings are present in your thoughts right now; if you feed them.
“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” ~ Lou Holtz
Start by examining your mental clutter. Make a list of the old convictions, fears, negative assumptions, past mistakes and depressing voices that weigh you down. Get rid of that first wolf; commit to letting these go.
Next, every day write down three good things that happen, what you are grateful for, proud of, learn from, etc. You will start to see a pattern of good happen in your life. These are the voices you want feeding your mind. They will not only lead to increased optimism and happiness but success as well. Not to mention the impact you will have on your team as a leader.
I wish you all a king not chump perspective for you and those around you. So next time the negative voices start-up, congratulate yourself and say; “go away; I must be about ready to live up to my potential.” Every day stand guard at the door of your mind and be careful which voice you let in.
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Kristi Royse is CEO of KLR Consulting
She inspires success in leaders and teams with coaching and staff development
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I have never heard the wolf story before – absolutely love it!