• The Story of The Old Cherokee: An Exercise on Inner Beauty

Old Cherokee

There is an old parable that often touches my heart. It is a story of choices and inner beauty:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person too.”

The grandson thought about I for a minute and then asked his grandfather,

“Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Take some time today to take a look at your choices and your actions. Which ‘wolf’ is winning the metaphorical battle inside of you? Are you showing the world the most beautiful version of yourself?

Here is my challenge for us all in the next week: using a journal, or just in your head, document the emotions that you run across each day and the way that you respond to them in different situations.

Then take a sheet of paper and make two columns, sorting your emotions and reactions by the qualities that the old Cherokee described as the good and bad wolf.  Where do your emotions and actions fall? Hopefully your inner beauty is shining through!

Remember…Beauty Begins Within

Jeffrey Paul

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