It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace and live in peace. – American Indian Proverb

Recently, I’ve been doing something on a regular basis that I never thought I would be doing – cooking. I have been using recipes and preparing meals for my wife and I that not along ago seemed complicated. I have been making different types of quiches, spaghetti, pasta etc. All these dishes involve different seasonings I am not familiar with, ingredients etc.

I believe we can use any activity in life to practice compassion and wisdom with ourselves and then extend it to others. Last week I decided to cook something I thought I would never be able to cook well from scratch – chili. I decided to do it but self-doubt. I thought to myself that I could not do this or who am I to do this? My stomach turned to knots and I was going nowhere.

What was going on here I thought? I stopped and got still. I started to breathe in the silence. What voice was I serving over cooking this dish? I was in essence defining myself. I was reminded of the Cherokee Tale of Two Wolves. I pondered this story… a grandfather tells his grandson a story about the voices in people’s head that were conflicting. One is a good wolf and one is an evil wolf. Just like the evil wolf, there was my one voice that was filling me with self-doubt, anger of self, worry and self-pity. Then there was the good wolf of love, compassion, kindness, courage and hope.

There was the answer sitting right inside me all along. It is the choice of which thoughts would I choose. We all have the two wolves running around in our heads. Which thoughts do I feed? I was not getting anywhere by feeding the thoughts of self-doubt and pity. When I stopped and turned within I started to feed the voice of love, courage, compassion and joy.

We have a choice to feed the thoughts that bring forth, love and a positive outlook or do we feed the thoughts that turn our worlds to negativity and eat away at our soul? I know which one I am choosing.

If you were wondering I did cook the chili and it turned out great. As a matter of fact my wife Shakira said its my best dish ever.

Affirm: I let go of any voices of false beliefs or self-doubt. I open my heart wide to hear the voices of love, magnificence and the all good of God.

Tags: cooking, HIP coaches, life coaching, meditation, patience, spiritual, success