A Mess Free Life may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
An old Cherokee leader is teaching his grandson about life. He decides to share the story of the two wolves.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he says to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil – he is full of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
– A Cherokee legend
I used to hear that wolf howling outside my door. It was that time in my life when I was on the brink of bankruptcy and was feeling insecure and scared. What is it about money that does this to us?
The doom and gloom that I felt around my situation was palatable. I had many sleepless nights, pacing the floor wondering how I would ever pay off my debt and begin to rebuild my life. How would I manifest more money into my life?
At that time, my belief system prevented me from realizing my fear and worry was related to internal circumstances NOT external ones. I was feeding my bad wolf.
I mistakenly took his voice to be the voice of reality, of truth – as if he were an impartial reporter of ‘just the way things are.’ The wolf’s voice might sound something like this—
People just aren’t hiring in today’s economy.
It’s not possible to increase my income this year.
It’s not possible to find a better paying job.
Which wolf are you currently feeding?
It’s one thing to hear the voice of the scared wolf. It’s another thing to feed it. When you feed it you are agreeing with the scared wolf’s reality.
So what can you do?
It’s not a matter of getting rid of the scared wolf. That just creates resistance.
It’s an opportunity to explore your beliefs. It’s about identifying which wolf you’ll feed.
It becomes an ongoing practice, a discipline – the personal path of the strong, resilient person inside you.
When I hear the bark of the scared wolf, I stop and identify the voice. I am called to create in each moment a new possibility – I can choose to feed the scared wolf or the good wolf. Either way it’s my choice. The one I choose to feed is the one who will win.
Action Steps for Manifesting Money
1. Get honest about your subjective ‘reality’ or ‘truth’. What’s the reason you’ve been giving to yourself about why you can’t achieve something you really want right now? Which wolf are you feeding?
2. Ask yourself how your subjective reality might really be resistance to manifesting what you want (remember this may require a huge stretch on your part – because that’s the nature of subjective reality – it seems so, well, real!).
3. Ask yourself what would happen if your subjective reality didn’t have to come to pass. Notice how you feel when you make this mind shift. You will notice that you are left with opportunity.
4. From this space be willing to take the next step toward what you want – instead of putting it off. Be willing to see that you don’t need to wait any longer – and that your ‘reality’ is merely resistance in disguise.
Stop feeding the negative wolf. You can choose happiness or misery each day.
There is always something to be grateful for in our circumstances. Even broke, I knew I had the support and love of family and friends.
What do you have to be grateful for? What can you focus on today to turn your beliefs around.
Remember to feed the right wolf.
I’m a professional cleaner with over 13 years of hands-on experience cleaning homes, a published writer, certified money specialist, and the founder of A Mess Free Life. After paying off over $50,000 in debt, I dedicated myself to helping others master their homes and their money — proving that a clean, organized, stress-free life is possible no matter where you’re starting from. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me cooking, playing bocce, sipping an extra dirty martini, or enjoying the ocean with my cats nearby. I’m also a proud mom and grandma who cares deeply for my mother at home.
