Most people get the reference: the Cherokee story of the two wolves inside of you and choosing to feed the good wolf and being a better person.
A part of me enjoyed the story so much that I named my personal training business after it (obviously), but the other reason I chose it isn’t so obvious.
The first time I’d heard the story was in 2017. I had just gotten my personal training certification and was flying high. I still worked a regular job (I was the fitness instructor at a large long term care facility for adults with developmental disabilities). A coworker of mine brought up the story assuming I’d heard it. I hadn’t. So he proceeded to smugly tell me the story as if I were a child who had grown up in a cave.
He had a way of talking down to people like that. It was infuriating. He was the perfect reddit person: every comment was intended to be wittier and more intelligent than yours. If you didn’t agree with him you were an insufferable idiot.
The story struck me with awe, but at the same time it came with a lesson. I would feed the good wolf, I wouldn’t ignore the message that came in this insulting package. I would be better. I could be better and I could help others be better.
So I ran with it, like a badge of honor. It helped me learn a valuable lesson in having a positive mindset. I learned that nothing was either good or bad, only thinking made it so and I was going to have a growth mindset and use what was given to me.
I see this in a lot of my people. They show up and for the first few weeks the difficulty of the workout grinds them down a bit. But they persevere. They fight back. They develop this growth mindset and use that mentality to push through and grow.
Positivity is so very important when it comes to everything, ESPECIALLY fitness and diet. The number of times I’ve given up on a plan or a program because I came into it assuming it wouldn’t work or because it “felt” dumb is staggering when you really think about it.
I’m sure we’ve all been there.
Adapting your mind to being positive isn’t easy, either. I’m naturally a negative person. I have no idea why – genetics? Upbringing? Society?
It doesn’t really matter in all honesty. What matters is that I can acknowledge that shortcoming and strive to be better. I can forgive myself when I fall through and use those little mistakes and faults as lessons to learn and grow.
Growth Mindset sounds cheesy. I can hear it. But the power it gives you to achieve goals is invaluable.
It’s become my mantra:
I will Feed The Good Wolf. I will be better. I will help others be better.
There’s no other option.