What wolf are you feeding?

At SEALFIT Kokoro camp we tell a story of the two wolves vying for attention in our hearts and minds.  The wolf of love and courage resides in the heart.  The wolf of fear resides in the mind.  The wolf that gets fed the most is the strongest and dominates our being.  The wolf of fear is the most active and hungry, eager to trick us into thinking he is the most important wolf.  The wolf of love and courage, on the other hand, is docile, loving and generous.  He will take a back seat to the wolf of fear because he deplores conflict.

Both wolves are an integral part of us of course.  We can’t kill the wolf of fear and hating him is the same as feeding him.  We should strive to control the wolf of fear – to tame him by re-directing fear energy into assertiveness and discipline.

Meanwhile, we should strive to feed the wolf of love and courage.  Feeding the wolf of love and courage makes us more kind, patient, tolerant, powerful and present. We will avoid conflict and be better leaders.  We won’t hesitate to lean into the hard tasks; fear will cease being an influence in our lives.  The nice thing is that by feeding the wolf of love and courage we will be simultaneously taming the wolf of fear.  How can we feed the wolf of love and courage?

• By taking care of teammates
• By encouraging rather than judging
• By showing compassion for yourself, and forgiving yourself for your personal disasters
• By looking for and finding good in the world

Condition your mind to feed the wolf of love and courage daily.  Pay attention to your mind and witness it feed the wolf of fear. Interdict, re-direct and maintain the positive courage state!

So, what wolf are you feeding now?  Train hard and stay focused! –Mark Divine