Andrea Putting – Speaker, Author Podcaster

Andrea Putting

Speaker, Author & Trusted Advisor

I’m Tired Of Lions!

When I was a child, one of my favourite story books was “I’m Tired of Lions” by ZLionshenya Gay. I’ve always loved lions, so this book is one I still have in surprisingly good condition. The story is of a lion cub, Leo, who has decided he is tired of lions. He wants to be something he isn’t. He looks around at all the other animals and see them in their beauty and wants to be like them. Not a lion. So he pretends with his mother about all the other animals he could be, but there is always some reason he can’t be that animal. He doesn’t have an Elephants trunk. He doesn’t have the long neck of a giraffe.

I was thinking about this story the other day and what this story has always meant to me. We look outside of ourselves, we see the beauty and the amazing talents that other people around us have. It is not just physical attributes, but we wish we could do the things that they do. In our eyes, someone else is more powerful, more connected spiritually, a better healer, have got it all together. There is always something.

When you are focused on what every one else has, you get tired of being yourselves, just like little Leo. You can’t see who you really are and how wonderful, brilliant and beautiful you truly are. You are amazing and powerful as you are.

Back to Leo. His mother suggested he go spend sometime in the sun, go and play and you will feel better. Leo took his mother’s advice and wandered off a little to play looking for another animal that he might be able to be. He came across a puddle of water and looked in it. Leo had never seen a puddle before. He looked at the animal and was so excited. It was the most beautiful animal he had ever seen. He wanted to be this animal.

Very excitedly, he ran back to his mother to tell her that he had found the most beautiful animal in the world and he wanted to be this animal. His mother came along with him, when they came to the puddle his mother explained that this beautiful animal was indeed Leo. Leo was looking at his reflection and for the first time in his life, was seeing himself as he truly was; a most magnificent being.

Take a look at yourself, as if for the first time in your life. Look at yourself through someone else’s eye. See all the beauty and all the potential that is the unique beautiful being that you are. Allow yourself to develop your unique skills, don’t dream of being someone else. You are perfect the way you are.

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