Which dog are you feeding?

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Which dog are you feeding?

I heard a story recently, in the context of addiction, that I would like to share as I think it also applies here. I will try not to butcher it too badly.

Imagine two dogs fighting over a delicious bone. One dog represents all the things you want in life: health, fitness, happiness, relationships, etc. And the other dog represents all the opposite things: over-eating, depression, selfishness, etc. And the bone they are fighting over is your time, resources, actions, thoughts and so on.

All things equal, which dog will get the bone? In the story I was told, a young man asked his grandfather this question, to which the old man replied, “The dog that you feed wins.”

Now, as a dog lover, I wish there were a better analogy that didn’t involve animal starvation. But I think you get the point. If we feed our time and thoughts to the better dog, we can become the person we want to be in our dreams. But if we continue to feed the bad dog (in my case: video games, second helpings and sleeping in), then we should expect no change in our lives.

So I ask you, which dog in your life are you feeding?