Some would say the world is divided between Lions and Sheep. It is rather interesting to note the contrast in how the two types of personalities and traits are seen.

Sheep

Sheep are said to tend to live in a world of blame. Neither do they take goal-oriented action, nor appreciate those who do. They fear change and hold on to rigid beliefs drawn out of life’s experiences rather than creating newer belief systems from within. Rarely do they acknowledge that change begins from within?

They have perfected the art of following old habit patterns that do not serve them anymore. This rigidity makes them lack peripheral vision, which is the fundamental requirement of leadership.

Sheep do not think on their own. They have a strong instinct to follow the sheep in front of them. They follow to the extent of getting slaughtered by following other sheep that stepped into a slaughterhouse. If a sheep jumps over a cliff, the others follow too. They are hard-wired not to think on their own.

All that the sheep are happy about is to be left to fend in a grassland. They eat, sleep and defecate, and that is the entire purpose of their existence. If they have to survive, they need to be shown the path all the time.

Sheep do not face their fears. They blame and play the victim.

Story of a Sheep Personality

A senior executive in a multinational corporation had pain in his body. He went to a world-class sophisticated hospital and sought consultation from a highly acknowledged doctor.

The doctor ushered him in and asked the problem. The executive said, ‘I have pain in the entire body.’ ‘Where all are you feeling the pain?’ the doctor asked. ‘Here’ he said, placing his finger on his knee cap. The doctor placed his hand on the knee and asked him ‘how deep is the pain now?’. ‘Not much, but I am feeling pain on my forehead’ he said while touching the forehead with his finger. The doctor again placed his hand on the forehead and asked him ‘how deep is the pain now?’. ‘I don’t feel any pain, but my pain is there on my abdomen’ said the executive touching his abdomen with his finger. And one region after another, he was pointing with his finger to the pain in his whole body.

The doctor realized what the problem was. The entire physical body of the executive was not hurting.

The doctor wrote a prescription to fix the injured finger!

For sheep personalities, the challenges are always external to them. They do not take responsibility because they do not want to think. They live in thoughts.

A lion personality would have acknowledged the painful finger and walked out to win the day.

Lions

Lions are said to take charge of their lives. They believe that change begins from within themselves. They challenge themselves every day, berating themselves while keeping their benchmarks of success high with every progress. Sheep see this way of living as insanity. Living this way is risky for the sheep in comparison to the comfort zone they enjoy.

Lions do not complain. They always look for solutions and keep working at them until they get what they want. For a lion, everything looks like an opportunity to grow and excel.

Here is a story that is apt to describe the attitude of a lion.

A lion wakes up in the morning and looks at the mighty elephant grazing at a distance. The elephant glances at the lion by chance.

The elephant is thinking, ‘I have to run. My life is in danger.’

The lion is thinking, ‘I have to run. My breakfast is in front of me.’

The elephant is ten times bigger than the lion. But it makes no difference in the perspective of the lion. The lion is a go-getter. 

The level of mindset is greater than the size of physical existence.

All over the world, we are given a choice. We can either to wake up to the persona of a lion or a sheep. The difference is just a ‘shift in perspective.’ 

And that’s why it is said, ‘success is a decision.’

Successful people make this choice every single day of their lives. They do not heed others’ opinions. They lead the way for others also to grow. They inspire with their success.

Story of Frog in the well!

A group of frogs was living in a well. The water was soon drying due to the extreme heat in the mid-summer. As the water level was lowering many frogs climbed off the well, and many remained. With each passing day, it was becoming difficult for the frogs to climb the well, and the frogs kept trying.

Another three days passed, and few frogs remained with many having died. In a few hours, they would die of hunger unless they climb off the well. The other frogs that escaped from the well were shouting from the top of the well, ‘you are going to die. Give up. You are losing energy.’

With each passing hour, one frog after another started giving up and stopped trying to jump. And the frogs at the top of the well continued to shout ‘we will miss you. you are going to die.’

Surprisingly, one of the frogs kept jumping. It saw many of the fellow frogs die, but it still kept jumping and trying for the seemingly impossible task of climbing out of the well. 

The shouts of the frogs at the top were getting louder and louder ‘ save your energy. You will die soon. You won’t make it. Just give up and sit quietly.’ And the last frog kept jumping even higher and higher.

Finally, it jumped so high that it climbed out of the well. And the other frogs asked ‘how did you make it?’

It appeared the frog was deaf.

Whatever negative shouts that were pouring in from the top of the well, the frog thought they were encouraging it to jump to safety.

Moral: It is just a shift in perspective!

Day to day and day by day and moment by moment it is up to you and your choice to either live like a lion or a sheep.