There were two wolves. One wolf’s name was Despair. Despair was full of anger, rage, self-doubt, apathy and negativity. The other wolf’s name was Hope. Hope was full of love, joy, confidence, ambition and positivity. Both wolves were locked in a fierce fight – both wolves were determined, hungry and growing hungrier. The fight goes on for hours. Which one wins???

The answer – whichever one you feed. The wolf that wins out is the wolf you feed.

Which wolf do I feed? I would like to say it was Hope. I want Hope to win out every time, but sometimes I find myself throwing scraps to Despair, not many, but definitely enough to keep him alive (I really hate being cruel to animals). But maybe, just maybe, if I do not feed Despair at all, he will become to weak to fight and will run off to find food elsewhere. Hope would never kill Despair…. Nor will Hope allow Despair to stick around when Hope has been fed properly.

My advise to me today is to make sure I feed Hope – everyday – through fostering positive and productive relationships with others who are trying to do great things; through always being part of the solution; through taking action in faith when situations and outcomes are unclear; by feeding Hope until he is strong enough to not only hold off,  but run off Despair –  because, of course, wolves are very territorial.

A little back story: I was on a flight this week and had an opportunity to watch the movie Tomorrowland, and heard this story. It really resonated with me. Maybe someone else will find it helpful as well. Also, listen to the clip of the speech from the movie. It also made me think about the wolves and why sometimes it seems easier to feed Despair.