The mean dog thrives on fear, deceit, worry, irresponsibility, and ignorance. This ugly dog can flourish and take over by simply filling the void left when the good dog is too weak to eat. Inspiration and knowledge are excellent ingredients to build strong hopes and sound dreams. Inspiration is available in many forms ranging from personal relationships with those we admire and trust to biographies of others who have succeeded in spite of the odds. Incidentally, you can easily starve the mean dog by avoiding negative relationships altogether.
Increased knowledge builds skill levels and ultimately confidence and self-esteem.
It is difficult to feel vulnerable and defensive when you have all the facts. Knowledge combined with inspiration strengthens principles already adopted, and may introduce you to new ones. Remember, the mean dog thrives on ignorance and fear, both of which can steal your constitution blind.