The King of the Jungle.

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The lion is the king of the jungle because of one word – attitude. It has a different attitude that makes every animal afraid of him. We don’t want to inspire by fear, but it does take respect for us to become a leader. When we use the word fear in the jungle, we are talking about respect.

What makes these massive animals respect such a small cat? The attitude is the difference. He is not the tallest… giraffes are taller. He is not the biggest… elephants are bigger. He is not the heaviest… hippos are heavier. He’s not the smartest… hyenas are smarter. He’s not the most intelligent… Chimpanzees are more intelligent. And yet when the lion shows up, the other animals run away.

When a lion sees an elephant, the first thought that comes to his mind is “lunch”. I could eat this thing and he acts the way he thinks by charging toward the elephant because he believes he can eat the elephant. 

When an elephant sees a lion, one word comes to mind “eater”. He runs, even though he’s bigger, stronger, smarter and more powerful than the cat. An elephant is a victim of how he thinks. 

Lions bravely defend their territories like kings. Being social cats, they live in defined social groups, called pride, which hold specified territory. Their female partners are responsible for hunting prey and feeding the pride (like royal ministers and administrators). 

Picture this: Two persons, same skills, same degrees, same economic conditions, same location, same problem identified by both. One thinks “lunch” while the other thinks “danger.”

Difference? Attitude.

An army of sheep led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by a sheep. And the answer to that dilemma is that leadership can transform cowards into violent warriors. The right kind of leadership can transform timid into bold, fearless animals.

The story of the lion and the sheep demonstrates the power of attitude. We live our attitudes, and our attitudes create our lives. The difference between the attitudes of a lion and a sheep determines their place in the scheme of the animal kingdom.

Our attitude is our mindset or mental conditioning that determines our interpretations of and response to our environment. It is our way of thinking. It is a natural product of the integration of our self-worth, self-concepts, self-esteem and our sense of value or significance.

It is the manifestation of whom we think we are. It dictates our response to the present and determines the quality of our future. We are our attitudes, and our attitudes are us. If we do not control it, it will control us. Attitudes create our world and design our destiny. It determines our success or failure in any venture in life.

More opportunities have been lost, withheld and forfeited because of an attitude than any other cause. It is a more powerful distinction in life than beauty, power, title or social status. It is more powerful than wealth and it can keep us poor.

It is a servant that can open the doors of life or close the gates of possibilities. It can make beauty ugly and plainness attractive. The distinguishing factor between a leader and a follower is attitude. 

We live our lives based on whom we think we are. If we believe in our hearts that we are sheep, then we will stay in the confines that others have placed us in or that we have made for ourselves. If we think we are lions, we will venture beyond man-made limitations and embark on a life that inspires others to be the best version of themselves.