Which Wolf Will You Feed?

As humans, we are all sharing a global sense of unease, as deep old shadow patterns are coming to the surface and being expressed through increasingly agitated expressions of polarization. ??And many are convinced that if only “they” would do x or y, the world would feel safer again.

And so I ask you... what is our role in this?? ?How do I / you feed this tension??

During this time, our lizard brain can be triggered again and again (of course!) by the fear of uncertainty and lack of control.? So how do we move forward as leaders, as humans, in a way that is in service to the greater good??

?The Story of the Two Wolves

I am reminded of an old story about a meeting with two wolves. The story goes something like this...

A Cherokee elder gathered his grandchildren around the fire weekly to teach them about life. ?Tonight, as he looked around the circle at each of them, he spoke solemnly...

"A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves....

"One wolf represents anger, reactivity, envy, sorrow, regret, separation, control, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

?The other wolf stands for wisdom, love, collaboration, hope, curiosity,, humility, grounded purposeful action, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

One of the children thought about it for a minute and then asked, ‘Grandfather... which wolf will win?’ The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘the one you feed.’ ?

Which wolf will win? The one you feed.

As leaders, as humans, we always have a choice as to how we respond in every moment, every conversation, every decision. No one can take that choice away from us. ??

As we all move more fully into this shared Uncharted Territory, let's keep asking ourselves... "Which wolf am I feeding?"

Let's continue pausing throughout the day to check in, to soften the grip of our lizard brain, return to what is actually present in this moment, ?and then re-set. Lets continually ask ourselves "what's the best use of my thoughts and actions right now?? What do I want to be in service to?? How can I feed the wolf of connection, collaboration, curiosity and co-creation?

What will we choose to create during these times?

Will we try to quickly return to "business as usual"? ?Will we focus on resistance?? Or will we take this opportunity to re-create together our lives, work, products, and services in ways that really matter?

Ultimately, we are all in this together. No matter what it looks like. May these days go well for you and yours. ?

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PEGGY McALLISTER is chief mischief maker, ceo, and executive coach with ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP LLC... supporting leaders and their teams as we all navigate together this crazy, exciting, and game changing time with as much wisdom, humor, creativity and commitment as we can. https://www.essentialeadership.net

Stay tuned for more on upcoming 2025 Return to Wholeness Retreats!? https://www.thereturntowholeness.com?

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