The One You Feed

You may like to think that you are you. That me, myself, and I are all one person and we are all in agreement. A basic understanding of human psychology will prove that to be otherwise and in fact there is an old Indian fable emphasising this point. The tale is about two wolves inside you that are polar opposites, battling inside you. It's the wolf that you feed that will win in the end. Which one are you feeding?

First we have the good wolf/person. This one is known to be honest and hardworking. They will get up early in order to meditate and meal prep. They will plan ahead with their meals and always have time for someone in need. They will workout when they know they should and strive for personal growth. They will shut the tv off and help a stranger. They tell the waiter to hold the fries and put the salad dressing on the side. They will spot their lifting partner and not chase Rx. They will clean the kitchen and do the laundry even when it is late. They are essentially the person we all look up to and emulate.

Second we have the bad wolf/person. They say that the good wolf/person is good but it can't be them for this reason or that reason. There is always an excuse for why this or that happened. They overeat and under sleep. They give in to momentary satisfaction over long term success. They like to stay exactly where they are cause growth is hard and requires work. They reason why it's important to be easy on yourself day after day, week after week, month after month. They are the one who takes and gives little back. They are the ones that don't know about taking this step or action.

So which one are we? We are both - there is no distinction for without one or the other we would not be the person we are today. We want them in balance though. Everyone has these thoughts of 'I'm going to get in shape' or 'I'm going to start saving for retirement' or even 'I'm going to start eating clean.' The classic time when socially we are all supposed to be good is New Years. However the one we feed is the one which shows our current quality of life. Too many people see the long road ahead and allow the bad to gain force and strength. Soon they no longer come to the gym, do not save for retirement, buy ice cream when they had a bad day (which seems to be twice a week oddly), and doesn't take that chance because they might fail.

We need both however! We can see the good as the optimist and the bad as the realist. The good as the dreamer and the bad as the architect. The good as the entrepreneur and the bad as the technician. When we start to look at it with these terms, though, you can see how good and bad are poor terms to use. We need both as checks and balances so that we can make the right decisions.

I will see you all in the gym next week and it will be with a new understanding that positive and negative emotions and events are all for a purpose: to create the best version of you. The things worth having take time and error but you will attain them through perseverance. You will attain them when you are ready.