We converse with ourselves more than with anyone else.

I was at a spiritual retreat recently that reminded me of that dynamic.  The speaker described it.  He used an old Indian story where a chieftain reminds one of his young warriors of the internal dialogue we maintain:

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. 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 young warrior thought about it for a minute and then asked the chief, “Which wolf will win?”

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

Monitor what you say to yourself and about yourself.  If you feed the bad wolf, it sours your attitude.  It impedes you as a leader.  Your internal dialogue has a lot to do with whether or not you succeed.