The door opens with a subtle screech…

You enter a little café with wide windows overlooking Grasse, the capital of perfume. Burning notes of John Coltrane catch your ear. You can’t help but surrender to the harmony of sounds.

Looking around, you suddenly hear a voice…

— Hiiii! Hellooo! — someone hails.

There is a familiar-looking person sitting by the window. And as you try to place his face, he comes over to shake your hand.

— Welcome, welcome! Please, have a seat! — he says grabbing you by the hand. — Meg told you about lions, didn’t she?

— No, I don’t think so, — you answer.

— At least, do you know my name? (You shake your head) — It’s March… Anyway, let me do one thing before we continue, because we have little time and important stuff coming up.

March snaps his fingers. Everything disappears, leaving the room pure white. The music cuts off.

— “Why are you here?” Well, I want to tell you something you need to hear. And if you’re not the right person to hear it, let’s both not waste our time. With a click of a button I’ll disappear and you’ll return to your daily life.

But if you are the right person… Well, welcome. Let’s get right into it.

He snaps again.

Suddenly, you’re back in the café. You catch a glimpse of the waiter and gesture some coffee as March begins:

I like to discuss all sorts of topics with my dad. Anything from relationships to self improvement. And once during a similar conversation he humbled me by saying just a single phrase:

“It’s better to be the worst of lions, than the best of jackals.”

And as a good researcher would do, I’ll try to thoroughly investigate this little proverb.

— What’s in it for me, though? — you may (pretty reasonably) ask.

So let me make a promise:

It’ll take only five minutes to explain:

Which people are Lions and which are Jackals?
How to find Lions.
And what to do if you’re already near Lions.

The waiter brings your coffee and you take a sip because things are about to get hot…

Only the focused get the fresh meat.

It’s a sunny savanna morning. You notice a lion far away. He is running…

And running at you.

There is no escape. You turn around and see an antelope trying to break free. The lion is so close, you can see his eyes fully focused on the antelope and as he is a second away from your face…

I pull you away. The lion catches his prey.

— THAT WAS CLOSE… Look at your shirt, it’s all covered in blood splatters. Be careful, because everything you read here becomes the truth. Take a deep breath, it’s okay…

Have you seen how focused that lion was? Humble but proud, attentive but focused. He has one goal and follows this goal no matter what, because his life depends on it. Only the focused get the fresh meat.

You are okay? Sure?

Well then, look to your left… Do you see this pack of jackals? Come closer…

They too have a leader. His name is Ouna.

Ouna is going to say something now. And don’t worry, they can’t see us.

— Brothers! — Ouna shouts to get their attention. — Have you seen this dumb lion waste time to catch the prey while we laugh at him and get all the tasty meat for free? We are intelligent animals, we don’t do the work. We plan, think and act only when absolutely needed. But now we wait.

— Do you see it now? — I creep from behind. — Enough of this talk, let’s get out of here…

I snap my fingers and we’re back at the café table.

— There is a big difference between lions and jackals:

Lions are the people, who build the roads. Who wake up with a goal in mind, and do the hard work. They do not brag, they do not preach. They work. Silently and carefully. You should seek out Lions.

Jackals are the people who walk the trampled roads. They do not build, but teach as though they do. They seek attention because they are insecure about themselves. You should avoid Jackals.

But how do you find Lions?

The dumbest in the room.

It’s impossible for me to give you one clear path to finding Lions. What I can do is give you a few tips that can help find them. In the end, you’re the one in control of your life.

Trust the process. Starting anything meaningful is hard, and finding Lions is not a moment, but a long process of rebuilding your life. If you search, you’ll find.
Be attentive. As we have seen earlier, the Lion is focused, but also attentive. And oftentimes life itself will give you answers, opportunities and chances to learn. Don’t miss the buses as they come and go.
Make yourself visible. Engage in conversations, start dialogs, make people pay attention, because attention is the new price for success.

And once you’re in a room like that:

Ask questions. The hardest part of being the dumbest in the room is not finding the room, but speaking up once you’re in.
Mimic Lions. If you see a strategy used by multiple Lions, it probably works.
Forget Ego. In learning there is no place for ego as it sabotages progress.
Be a student. That means being ready to ask questions and jumping at every given opportunity to learn.

What to do today.

Start a conversation with a person you haven’t spoken to in a while, send a message in a group, post on social media. Lions notice it when you move.

And finally…

Become a Lion to find a Lion.

See you quite soon.