An old Grand Master is teaching his apprentice about life.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two stallions.
One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued,
“The other 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 apprentice thought about it for a minute and then asked his Grand Master,
“Which stallion will win?”
The old Grand Master simply replied, “The one you feed.”
—
And that’s the way it is:
Angry riders always find a way to get angry.
Sad riders always find a way to get sad.
Anxious riders always find a way to get anxious.
Critical riders always find a way to be critical.
Complaining riders always find a way to complain.
Jealous riders always find a way to get jealous.
Compassionate riders always find a way to feel compassion.
Enthusiastic riders always find a way to get enthusiastic.
Cheerful riders always find a way to get cheerful.
Grateful riders always find a way to feel gratitude.
So ask yourself:
Which primary emotion is your ‘stallion’?
Which ‘stallion’ are you feeding?
And if you’re not happy with the outcome:
Change your approach!
Turn things around!
Turn it around by thinking of the things you are grateful for and spend some time each day practicing an attitude of gratitude.