Fit for Life: Two Wolves & a Donut Shop

Fit for Life: Two Wolves & a Donut Shop

Today's article is based on two stories I heard this week that resonated with me.

They resonated with me because they sparked some self-awareness, and I hope that by reading this, you, too, can get some value from these stories.

 

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The first story starts with a wise old Indian Chief telling his grandson the tale of two wolves.

 

He tells the boy, “Grandson, every day you will wake and face two wolves fighting inside of you" he continues, "The first wolf is full of positivity, passion, energy, abundance, strength, discipline, gratitude, takes action, and comes with a giving hand, the other is full of fear, negativity, scarcity, laziness, procrastination, excuses, hate, anger, comparison, gossip, and always looks for the easy way out.

 

“These two will continue fighting inside you for the rest of your life.” The Chief continues.

Then the grandson looks up and asks, "Which one will win?" The Chief looks down and says, "The one you feed."

 

The other story goes like this:

 

A man sees his doctor, who tells him he has gained much weight since their last visit. "What are you doing? The doctor asked, why have you gained so much weight?"

 

The man replies, “I go to the donut shop and eat donuts daily.”

 

The doctor tells him he needs to stop. The man replies, "I can never eat another donut for the rest of my life?"

 

The doctor makes a deal with him and says, "The only way you can have a donut is if you drive by the donut shop, and the parking spot right in front of the door is available. Then you can go in and have a donut".

 

“But ONLY if that particular spot is open. We will consider it a sign from GOD and say you were destined to have a donut that day.” They shake hands in agreement.

 

The next day the doctor runs into the man in the donut shop. He excitedly approaches the doctor and says, "I drove up, and that spot right in front of the door was open, so I came in and got a donut!"

 

The doctor replies, “yea, but I sat here and watched you DRIVE AROUND THE BLOCK 8 TIMES!!”

 

Now it’s time for some self-reflection and brutal honesty.

 

Regarding the first story, which wolf have you been feeding?

 

•Do you carry around a scarcity mindset and feel like everyone is out to get you and rip you off, or do you think from an abundance standpoint and feel that it's ok to give, and the more you give, the more you will receive?

•Do you procrastinate on what you know you need to do and what is required of you, or do you take immediate action, regardless of the external circumstances that will face you?

•Do you see things in a positive light, or do you find fault with everyone and everything you encounter?

 

Regarding the second story, are you bending and justifying the rules to suit your needs?

Or are you doing what is required of you, resisting temptation, showing self-discipline, and taking massive action?

 

A while back, I caught myself breaking my rule and justifying it by altering it instead of following it.

 

My rule is to never hit the snooze button in the morning.

 

I look at setting the alarm the night before as a promise to get up and attack my day at that specified time. If I hit snooze, I start my day with a broken promise, a loss, a lack of self-integrity, and behind the eight ball.

No one knows me; however, I look in the mirror, and I don't like what I see when I do these things.

 

So instead of hitting the snooze, I would wake up and shut my alarm entirely off.

Technically, I didn't hit snooze. However, I still didn't fulfill my promise and do what was required of me. I was justifying what I was doing by rewriting my own rule.

 

After a few days, I recognized what I was doing and stopped. Sometimes I even catch myself feeding the wrong wolf, and when I do, I have that self-talk and start feeding the right one.

 

So now it's time for you, and only you, to self-assess and be brutally honest with yourself.

Most people won't tell you the truth to avoid hurting your feelings, so you need to have that conversation with yourself.

 

Just ask yourself the two questions outlined in the stories:

1. Which wolf am I feeding?

2. Am I truly doing what is required to hit my goal, or any I justifying actions that will pull me further away?

 

Would love to hear your answers!!

 

Coach Matt