One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his
grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.
One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow,
regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good. It is joy, peace love, hope serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
“Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one that you feed.”
You are intentionally knit together for a purpose. You are uniquely and wonderfully made. You need to respect that design. If not, what do you tell yourself about who you are and why you’re here?
If we believe we were created to fill a void in the world that only we can fill, then our internal dialogue should equal that calling.
Most of us spend far more time worrying, or talking to ourselves in such negative ways, or worried about what others will think. We take up too much heart and brain space in a state of angst that could be used for filling our destinies.
I once heard a speaker say, “If you were in a coma, and woke up one day minus your memory but with all other faculties, and the people around you told you that you were a Navy Seal and the Navy wants you back; think how differently you would talk to yourself and behave than if when you woke up you were told you were a drug addict that overdosed?”
Discovering who we are, what we’re passionate about, and what our why is in life, helps determine our next steps. Once we find what gives our life meaning and purpose it puts us in charge of the direction of our life. Whatever our life’s work is, let’s start moving towards it. What is one step you can take today toward your goal?
If you don’t know why you’re here, ask yourself why am I still here? Take the spiritual gifting test and begin to make conscious efforts to find and move toward the goal of being all you can be. Your life is worth finding. It may not happen all at once or overnight, but it can start a little every day. Be willing to explore the opportunities that present themselves. Prospects are embraceable if we are prepared for them. We must get up earlier, run a bit faster, learn a new skill, end a bad habit, stretch ourselves and be willing to be uncomfortable.
Fear kills dreams, hopes, relationships, and holds us paralyzed.
Fear is a state of mind that can be changed. Self-esteem is a state of being satisfied with yourself. If you are not satisfied, then believe better and do better.
How do we get started changing the way we talk to ourselves?
- Start listing the things you like about yourself.
- Be present. Turn off distractions and notice how well you do or don’t handle things so you can embrace or change the direction.
- Find a mentor(s). Or pay attention to someone you admire. Write down the things they do that you look up to or that you’d like to adopt into your own life.
- Take your mentor to coffee. Ask them what they think their strengths and weaknesses are, and how their strengths became strong.
- Ask your mentor what strengths and weaknesses they see in you and what advice they might have for your ‘next step’.
- Get rid of distractions and time wasters. Start reading, taking courses, listening to podcasts, speakers who have good advice for inspiring your best self.
- Lose negative influences. Begin to filter what is detrimental. Build boundaries to protect your heart and mind.
- Learn how to fight for what you want so you can hold your position.
- Listen to criticism, the true stuff use, the unkind stuff—forget.
Expect challenges and criticisms and turn them into lessons.
What’s the bottom line? Live your unique purpose.
Fight for you. Believe in you. Dare to be different!
For more like this and the included workbook pages check out Dare To Be A Badass Book!
