The Wolves of Your Heart

There are two wolves fighting in each person’s heart. One is Love, the other is Hate.

Which one wins?

The one you feed the most.

This short parable from the movie Pathfinder expresses the importance of self-control and the fact that emotions can be self-reinforcing.

The lesson is that we can make a conscious choice to engage and choose which emotions we allow to dominate us.

This is what I’ve been continually doing over the last two weeks.

I’m currently on a six-month holiday heading up to Queensland to find some part-time work and have a change of scenery. (It’s OK, I'm still working with clients online and I'll be back!).

When it comes to looking and applying for jobs, I’ve noticed that Fear creeps in quite frequently and easily. However, I’m careful not to delete Fear. It has a purpose to look after me. But I’m also careful about how much airtime I give Fear.

It’s like if you imagine a company having a meeting. You don’t want Fear to be in the role of CEO. You want Fear to be the one who brings in morning tea with a witty, relevant comment and then ducks out. I figure it’s the same with day-to-day life and the challenges we face.

So, here’s what I’ve been doing. Acknowledge that Fear is kicking in. Decide if this is helping. Then imagine what it would be like if I had a different emotion as CEO. Confidence. Peace. Love. Curiosity. Indifference (and anything else you can imagine). Imagine my actions and see what leaves me feeling the lightest and at peace.

This is when I realised it’s not about finding a job. It’s about a journey of self-discovery and growing a deeper understanding of my mind and myself.

Give it a go. Have a play with the wolves of your heart and see what happens.

Something to think about...

"Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision."

- Winston Churchill