Final Summary | Life Series

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside us all. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked: “Which wolf wins?”

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

Fortunate are those who have had the wisdom to form themselves in the way that they wanted, as most of us are designed through default values selected by others. Starting a new journey, whether to restore or redefine ourselves, is like moulding clay, dark, dense and unclear of the outcome at the onset. However, through guided impressions, the clay begins to take shape; the path begins to become clear.

Fortunately, unlike clay which once dry cannot be reshaped without being broken down, our journey for forming ourselves can be retracted even if we miss an exit, and can restart from that very point.

Thank you for staying with me this far.

Let’s do a quick recap of our discussion so far:

Castle Characters
We identified 3 characteristics that would reflect our personality that is essentially our Brand, which I refer to as our Castle Characters. These are our ‘Precious’ that warrants protection from outside invasion. The most powerful way is to strengthen our walls through constant reminders to ourselves. Being aware of them, and of the consequences of our actions aligned with the brand will keep our castle strong.

Prison Characters
Then, we explored 3 characteristics that we want to protect ourselves and our loved ones from, which I refer to as our Prison Characters. These traits may be dominant or of variant shades. Regardless, you need to cage them behind the protective walls of awareness. The most powerful ways to keep them in check is not to focus on them at all, but to focus on our Castle Characters. Let our Prison characters go hungry of our attention, depriving them of any strength to escape the prison walls. Ultimately our Castle characters will triumph and will become the dominant You.

Takeaway

1. It’s hard to start a new journey but start nevertheless. We owe it ourselves and our loved ones.
2. Do not delve on self-doubt and uncertainty. They can be deceptively very convincing, but remind yourselves that you are not an outcome of someone else’s opinion of you.
3. Be aware of your Castle characters, and be mindful of your Prison ones.
4. Nurture your Castle characters, and starve your Prison characters
5. If you feel you have lost your way, find someone who can be a source of guidance
6. If you are one of those fortunate ones well on your successful journey, then lend some words of hope to others. Be the Garmin voice.
7. Go back to 1. Remember, it’s a journey, not a destination.

Humble note
Who am I to share these words of wisdom? I am certainly not qualified enough. However, I do feel obligated to bring it to my kids the lessons from my mistakes to have them chart their journey without missing too many exits.

If you know of anyone who would benefit from this, then please share. And also let me know how we can together make it better. Because we are stronger together.

Success to you!

Razak
Common.Interest.