(A Reflection for the What Matters Series)
What is it that you love? Which wolf do you feed?
When we love what we do, that love becomes fuel. It feeds our soul, opens the door to creativity, and links our work to something larger than ourselves. Creativity, after all, is a chain—each link formed by what we choose to nurture within us.
The old story of the two wolves captures this truth well. Inside every person, there are two wolves—one good, one bad. The good wolf is patient, kind, curious, and generous. The bad wolf is angry, jealous, and fearful. Whichever wolf we feed becomes stronger.
The bad wolf shuts doors. It tells us to compare, to resent, to stop exploring. The good wolf opens them. It loves to learn, to see beauty in imperfection, and to connect what we know with what we still long to understand.
Amy Tangerine, in A Life You Love, writes about “crafting a life and soul that you love.” That act of crafting begins with awareness: What draws us in? Why do we love what we love?
A writer may love the characters in a story. A painter may love the light on a canvas. When something new—an idea, a feeling, a discovery—joins that love, creativity happens. The work begins to speak back, guiding us toward what we didn’t know we were seeking.
Feed the wolf that listens, learns, and loves. That’s where creativity lives.