There is this ancient Native American legend of a wise man who walked from town to town with one white wolf and one black wolf. He was walking from town to town with each wolf on either side. Now, it’s obvious to the townsfolk that the black wolf is very ferocious. If they get anywhere near that animal, it will tear them apart. That is not a theory, that is guaranteed.
They were asking the old man, from a distance, “Which of these animals get bigger and stronger?” What they were really trying to ask is how they could approach the old man. He said, “Whoever I feed gets the upper hand.” This ancient Native American legend really speaks to our collective subconscious.
If you are struggling with memories that make you feel small, weak, powerless, voiceless or somehow stuck in your life, maybe you’re feeding the wrong memories. Maybe you’re feeding these memories by interpreting them in the worst way possible. Maybe you are feeding your insecurities, your pride, your fear, your anger.
Now, just because it has been happening for a long time, this doesn’t mean that this is who you are. Let’s get that clear. A lot of people know that they are unhappy. They know for a fact that they are miserable, but they cannot get those invisible chains off their wrists. Do you know why? They have grown accustomed to them.
Certainly, they’re going to deny this to your face. But deep down inside, they have grown accustomed to them. A lot of people are too quick to trust the devil they know, rather than to take a chance on the devil they don’t know. It may well turn out that that alternative doesn’t have to be a devil. It could be an angel.
Unfortunately, they would never know because they feel that they are stuck. This is the best they can do and they had better not shake the boat. Well, that’s a problem because you know that you are unhappy. You know that you’re not living up to your fullest potential. You know that you are feeding the worst instincts in your mind, but you don’t lift a finger.
Understand that once you become aware of what you feed your mind, you would start to see the big picture. All the pieces will start to fall into place and you would have all the things that you need to make real change in your life. But this is all a choice. You have to be aware that you’re feeding your mind certain things.
How do you feed your mind? By analyzing things a certain way. Did you notice my wording? I did not say “bad” or “good,” because those are value judgements. What I’m trying to focus your mind on is the fact that you are judging. Take control of that analysis process. Understand the consequences of your mental choices.
Whatever it is that you’re struggling with eventually can be traced back to your choice of interpretation. It’s all an interpretation because you look at how the world treats you, it’s all neutral. It’s you who puts meaning into things. It’s you who judges things in such a way that they can either push you up or drag you down.
The key to all of this is to be aware of what you feed your mind.