Do You Feed Your Clutter?

There is a story about an old Cherokee who was teaching his grandchildren about life.

He said to them: “A battle is raging inside me…it is a terrible fight between two wolves.

“One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

“The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The old man fixed the children with a firm stare. “This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”

They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee replied: “The one you feed.”

Now, you may be thinking — Nice story. But what does this have to do with organizing and finding balance?

Well, it got me thinking of a different take on this story. And it goes something like this…

We have a battle raging inside of all of us, and it is a terrible fight between two wolves.

One wolf represents clutter, and all the things that come with it like chaos, stress, frustration, loss, pain, wastefulness, hassles, and ineffectiveness.

The other stands for order, and all the things that come with it like clarity, peace, gain, pleasure, usefulness, waste-lessness, ease, and efficiency.

Which wolf will win? The one that you feed.

Carmen Coker is a professional organizer who helps individuals find the motivation and know-how to get organized and stay organized. To learn how to save money, create more space, and manage your time through organization, claim your “FREE Tip Kit: 10+ Pages of Tips and Tools to Help You Get Organized — Finally!” at www.OrganizeClutterbugs.com