Resolutions & Focus
As we close out one year and look forward to another, we often find ourselves making New Years resolutions. And as we move through the year, how long do those resolutions last? If they don’t last, why don’t they? Sometimes I wonder if the culprit for ill-fated resolutions is actually our overall focus.
What takes up space in your thoughts? What is the driving force behind your choices and actions? Maybe our goal for the new year should be to reset our overall focus. Is it regret, greed, anger, power, self-pity, etc? Or is it hope, humility, acceptance, compassion, faith, etc? What drives us influences what we do, the choices we make, and the successes or failures of our goals.
There is a parable that brings this to light… the story of the two wolves. Although the origin of the story is unknown, historians often attribute the story to the Cherokee or Lenape people.
An old grandfather is teaching his grandson about life. “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, 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 grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “which wolf will win?”
The grandfather simply replied, “the one you feed.”
As I begin 2023, I want to feed the GOOD WOLF. Don’t get me wrong, 2022 was a good year for MamaDuck Art. But as I reflected on the year, I realized I didn’t paint many new paintings. I spent most of the year working on the business which caused me to lose my direction a bit. The reason I started MamaDuck Art was to share my work… the art that brings me such joy and peace AND to hope that my art would bring joy and peace to others.
As I met new friends at in-person events this year, I saw my art impacting others. And it was beautiful to hear the stories and memories that my art brought forth in others. But with my primary focus on the business, I didn’t create the time to… well… be creative… to create more art to touch more people. My focus was skewed. The desire to increase the business’ income took up more space than the desire to share God’s creation through my creative work.
So in 2023, I plan to re-focus on the work… the painting… the joy. I need to focus on the way I want to touch others by sharing my reflection of God’s amazing creation and finding ways to protect it. And if I do so, I truly believe the rest will come. I want to feed the GOOD WOLF.
So as we welcome 2023, which wolf will you feed this year?