Remember You're a Lion

The words you say to yourself are the most important words you say.

I am often reminded of the power of this idea when considering the story of a lion who thought it was a sheep.

Once, there was a young lion, and as a cub, it had been raised in a flock of sheep after losing its mother. So it learned to bleat, graze, and follow just like the rest of the sheep. But deep down, it never felt right.

The sheep mocked the young lion. “You’re ugly. You don’t sound right. You don’t belong.”

One day, a wild lion spotted the herd and attacked. But as the cub ran with the sheep, the older lion stopped, confused.

“You’re not a sheep,” it growled. “You’re a lion.”

“I’m just a sheep,” the young one replied, trembling.

So the older lion dragged it to the river and said, “Look.”

There, in the reflection, the young lion saw it, its authentic self. Not a sheep but a lion.

And in that moment, everything changed. He let out a roar that shook the jungle.
Not because someone gave it strength, but because someone reminded it who it already was.

For some reason or another, most people spend their lives listening to the sheep around them, or worse, listening to the lying sheep within them.

• “You’re too small.”

• “You’re not good enough.”

• “Don’t be different.”

• “You’re not smart enough.”

But those voices aren’t the truth. They are just noise. You don’t need to transform into a lion, you already are one. You might need to develop the skills that the best lions have developed, but you can because you are a lion.

Other people telling you that you aren’t good enough is overcomeable. But you telling yourself you can’t do it is final. Because the words you say to yourself are the most important words you say.

P.S. This week, I'm delivering a streamlined, virtual workshop from that very program titled: How to Lead a Winning Team: Talent, Culture, and Strategy in 2 Hours. 

If you're responsible for leading people, this workshop will be an immediate game-changer for you. In this application-focused session, I'll guide you step-by-step through:

Talent: How to identify and retain your best performers and develop or replace your low-performers.

Culture: How to intentionally create and sustain a high-performing culture that drives performance and engagement.

Strategy: How to set clear expectations and goals to maximize your team's success.

The pop-up workshop is on August 7th from 11 AM to 1 PM EST over Zoom.