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Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar… and Lions Roar!
One of my favorite authors is Harvey Mackay. I especially remember reading Swim With the Sharks: Without Being Eaten Alive and later Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt.
He is also well known as an excellent motivational speaker and I recently reheard the story about the taxi driver who demonstrated the importance and value of quality customer service. The story has been recounted and posted many times, usually under the title Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar. Basically you have two alternatives. You can blend in with the mold or you can rise above the rest. Great wisdom.
Today with full admiration to Harvey I am going to add another animal to the end of the title and give it a little more Africa flair… Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar and Lions Roar!
It’s not that Africa doesn’t have ducks and eagles, they do. But with so many wild animals when I wrote Surviving Your Serengeti I was drawn into a huge array of exotic animals. Growing up in Africa I’ve always had an affinity for the wild and the animals that rule the untamed land of the Serengeti.
Each year more than two million wildebeest migrate 1,000 miles through the harsh plains of East Africa – a migration so dangerous and incomparably massive that it’s often considered the number one natural wonder of the world. While many animals succumb to hunger, thirst and predators, others use their inborn skills to survive.
And yes, then there is the lion. And although he does not migrate, he is impacted by the migration. Even though he is the king of the jungle, life isn’t just straightforward and easy. He has to makes plans. Lions actually work pretty hard to make sure their cubs are fed on a regular basis. Hunting becomes a skillfully execute plan of strategy, teamwork, single-mindedness and superb implementation.
We’re all facing a struggle of some sort – our personal Serengeti – whether it’s finding a job or new career, balancing work and family, keeping a business afloat through the recession or to paying the ever-growing stack of bills. Surviving and also thriving during these times requires that we rely on our innate skills – our strengths.
To rise to the top, and to succeed where others don’t, you have to soar like an eagle and act like a lion. Remember, your skills are significant, your attitude is critical, your execution is essential, focus is continuously important and perseverance required until the end.
