“Every morning in Africa, when a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning when a lion wakes up, it knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are the lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up you had better be running.”
This powerful proverb captures the essence of survival in the animal kingdom, where the law of nature reigns supreme. In this daily race against life and death, the lion and the gazelle are bound by a shared urgency to keep moving and strive for their existence.
For the gazelle, dawn heralds the beginning of a perpetual challenge. It awakens to a world filled with predators, where speed is its greatest ally. To survive, it must outpace the fastest lion, using its agility and grace to navigate the treacherous terrain. Each stride is infused with the knowledge that failure to outrun its pursuers will result in a grim fate.
On the other hand, the lion rises with a hunger that cannot be ignored. It stands as the apex predator, revered for its strength and prowess. Yet, even the king of the savannah is not exempt from the survival demands. To satisfy its voracious appetite, it must relentlessly chase down its prey. The lion understands that complacency and sluggishness are the path to starvation.
Whether we identify more with the gazelle or the lion, we are all participants in the race of life.
Like the gazelle, we must outrun our fears, doubts, and limitations. We must harness our inner strength, resilience, and adaptability to overcome the obstacles in our path. Pursuing personal growth and success demands that we keep pushing forward, always striving to improve ourselves and our circumstances.
Similarly, the lion’s drive to satiate its hunger resonates with our ambitions and aspirations. We cannot afford to become complacent, settling for mediocrity and stagnation. Instead, we must nurture our hunger for knowledge, achievement, and fulfillment. We must continually seek new challenges, seize opportunities, and dare to chase our dreams with unwavering determination.
Dana Gordon 