One evening a Cherokee elder sat with his grandson at the fire to tell him about the battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘ wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. This wolf speaks with anger, envy, jealousy, hatred, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. This wolf speaks with joy, peace, love, hope serenity, humility, kindness and caring, empathy, respect for self and others, generosity, truth and faith. The grandson listened to his grandfather’s word and then asked, “Which wolf wins?” The wise Cherokee looked into his grandson’s eyes and replied, “The one you feed.” The tale reveals the priceless jewel of thought and behavior. Few adults understand it, but those who do can exercise a significant mentoring role with the kids they love. The jewel can be expressed in a variety of ways. Here are a few: What you give your attention will grow. You are what you think about all day long. Garbage in. Garbage out. What’s happening on the inside shows up on the outside.

– Native American Analogy