Think Like Men, Act Like Lions: 5 Lessons Lions Can Teach You About Life

There is a reason why everyone know about lions.

Just ask any toddler to give you the name of an animal and nine times out of ten, the answer would be “Lion”. In the next few paragraphs, we’d be diving into 5 characteristics of lions that can set you up for the fulfillment of your purpose and destiny.

Lions Understand the Power of Association

By nature, lions are social animals. In fact, research has shown that they are one of the most social of all the feline species. This is not a mere coincidence. One way or the other, lions have been able to discern over time that there are benefits to living together in groups. For instance, by virtue of their tendencies to hunt together, lions are able to attack their prey more efficiently. While one lion might be able to defend its territory against invaders, the effect is multiplied when there are numerous lions working together to defend their pride. This reduces the chances of lions being injured from attacks, while also reducing the chances of hunger as the lions share their prey.

How does this relate to you?

In his book, The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose, Matthew Kelly says, “The people we surround ourselves with either raise or lower our standards. They either help us to become the best version of ourselves or encourage us to become lesser versions of ourselves. We become like our friends. No man becomes great on his own. No woman becomes great on her own. The people around them help to make them great. We all need people in our lives who raise our standards, remind us of our essential purpose, and challenge us to become the best version of ourselves.”

You need to understand that there is power in association. The people you spend the bulk of your time with have a powerful role in determining what you get out of life. This is one reason the rich will keep on getting richer and the poor would keep on getting poorer. Wealth brings more opportunities for creating wealth and lack attracts even more lack. This is the same reason that there are always more opportunities for the purpose-driven ones to manifest the seeds deposited within them. Your association would go a long way in determining your location on the food chain. When all is said and done, the people you continually spend time with are a pointer to the kind of person you are. Little wonder Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” By associating with each other, each friend ends up in a better position than what he would have been in if he were alone.

Lions Understand Their Role in the Grand Scheme of Things

Ecologists and biologists refer to certain kinds of animals as ‘keystone predators’. These are a special group of animals that have a powerful role in bringing about balance into their immediate environment. They do not have to be plenty in number to bring about the desired outcome. Their mere presence is a quality assurance measure in the ecosystem. Lions are able to do this by feeding on a broad range of animals such as giraffes, buffaloes, and deer that would have otherwise depleted the grasslands through overgrazing. Without the presence of lions, in a matter of years, there would be no grasses in the grasslands. This, in turn, would lead to severe disruptions in the balance of such ecosystems. This might sound oxymoronic but the very act of going on the offensive to hunt down prey is a powerful way that lions ensure that there is continuity of life in their environment.

How does this relate to you?

You have a role that God has created for you on this side of eternity. You have a role in the His continuously unfolding story of creation. Unfortunately, a lot of people are walking through life without any passion. They do not understand that they are co-authors with God in this beautiful story called life. As a result, they lead boring, unsatisfactory lives because they are not acting in ways that are congruent with their life purposes. You were placed on earth for a reason. It is your responsibility to find out what that purpose is. And when you find it, you need to go on the offensive to diligently pursue it. Lions do not fold their arms in their dens patiently waiting for the deer and buffaloes to offer themselves for the slaughter. In the same way, you should also be ready to go out of your comfort zone to pursue your purpose and fulfill your role in God’s meta-narrative. You were created for fruitfulness, multiplication, replenishment, subjugation, and dominion (Genesis 1:28). You were created to be a keystone predator in your area of purpose!

Lions Understand the Power of Selection and Decisiveness

Lions have a weakness that they have learned to use to their advantage. In comparison to their sizes, lions have small hearts. This results in lions not having much endurance and stamina, as their blood cannot be pumped towards their lungs to receive oxygen quickly enough. This could be a reason why lions spend up to 20 hours a day in a passive, resting state. By implication, this means that lions need to be very strategic when they hunt. First, they identify the single animal they want to kill. Lions do not wildly chase 5 buffaloes or 10 deer at the same time. That is not a heart-friendly approach for lions. Rather, they pick out the animal that has strayed away from its group. After that, they gradually and stealthily inch closer to the animal, usually under the cover of the tall brown grasses of the Savannah grasslands. Even the attack itself is a short burst of devastating power, usually involving the lion jumping at and choking the unfortunate animal with its powerful jaws. Within moments, all that is left of the prey is blood and bones.

How does this relate to you?

In the journey of life, you would need to realize that you cannot be good at everything. You would have areas of strengths, as well as areas of weaknesses. That is why, just like lions, you need to play more to the areas of your strengths. Lions do this by adapting their hunting style to their stamina levels. You need to do the same with your strengths. You also need to have the subconscious awareness that you do not need to approach every event in your life with the same level of energy. Some activities have to be delegated, while others need to be eliminated or automated. If you insist on doing everything on your own, you would end up burning out very quickly, just as the stupid lion that chases 500 buffaloes at once. In addition, lions have some form of decision-making system that enables them to pinpoint the animal that would soon be dinner. They realize that if they spend to much time dilly-dallying on the best animal they need to kill, they would die of hunger. Once they make a selection, they focus on that animal – and that animal alone – with devastating ruthlessness. Do the same with the opportunities that come around in your life. Be decisive and realize that your indecision is a decision!

Lions Understand the Power of Night Time

As mentioned earlier, because of their hearts, lions do not have the stamina to chase their preys all day long. Therefore, in addition to using stealth, lions are also masters of hunting at night. To be able to achieve this, they need to have powerful eyes that are able to pick out their unsuspecting prey.

How does this relate to you?

William A. Ward famously uttered these golden words: “Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing.” The truth is that the majority of the people in the world are prisoners of mediocre existences. As a result, a little more deliberate effort on your end would put you beyond the despairing claws of mediocrity – unlocking access to mindblowing power-ups for your life and destiny. Naturally, you need to have a burning vision for your desired future. Without this, all you’re doing is crossing the highway with blinders on. Once your vision is in place, you need to learn how to develop mastery over the night or at least wake up before the sun rises. While there are virtues to be found in resting your body and mind with sleep, there is also power in conquering your day before sunrise. The most obvious benefit is that you develop the capacity to increase the length of your days (Proverbs 3:1-2) such that you are able to accomplish more in 24 hours than others are able to attain in a month!

Lions Are Not Afraid to Make Themselves Heard

Lions are well known for their ability and willingness to roar. They roar during the day, and they not ashamed of roaring at night. In fact, lions are more likely to roar at night with their sounds travelling as far 8 kilometers away from their current location.

How does this relate to you?

The only reason lions roar is to announce their presence. The roar of a lion is not a mating call, neither is it a warning or defense mechanism. The roar is a self-promotional strategy. Here’s what T. Harv Eker said in his bestselling book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth: “Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value. Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion.” In the name of false humility, a lot of people shrink away from telling others about their areas of expertise. Not only is this capable of rendering you broke for a long, long time, it also deprives many people the potential solution to their problems. This is not humility, but rather a classic case of selfishness and pride where you allow your low opinion of yourself to deprive others of the answer to their prayers.