Values of a Fearless Climber: Wisdom

The following is an excerpt from the book:
Grow a Pair of Antlers: The Fearless Climb to Lead Your Herd

Wisdom

Do you remember the old cartoon that showed a trouble-making cat in his
decision-making process? He had a tiny cat image on each of his shoulders.
One had little wings and a halo. The other had red horns and a long pointy
tail. We understood, even as little kids, that the cat was making a choice
between a good and bad idea. He had two thoughts and could control which
path he took. His choice would determine the plot of the rest of the show.

You are like that cartoon cat. You also have two little “cats” on your
shoulders. Your choice determines the plot of the rest of your life. The good
“cat” represents love and compassion. It is the love and compassion you
give yourself, then to others. The bad “cat” represents fear and judgement.
This is the fear of failure and an unforgiving attitude towards yourself.
When you choose to believe negative things about yourself, your
relationships may be impacted through your defensiveness or passive-aggressive
behavior. You may become embroiled in emotional arguments
and blocked from creativity and productivity. You may feel unworthy of
love which means you will find it difficult to give love.

Notice that love is the opposite of fear and compassion is the opposite
of judgement. If you are feeling love and compassion, you are choosing
good thoughts. If you are feeling fear and judgement, you are choosing bad
thoughts. Let me be clear, you are not a bad person, but your thoughts can
be bad. Your thoughts are separate from you — they do not define who you
are. We are, however, all tempted by bad thoughts. And, we are also all
given the power to refuse them. You have the authority to argue with a
thought, tell it off, command it to leave, or simply ignore it. In all cases, you
can choose to replace a negative thought with a positive one. Your thoughts
create your…