Life has no shortage of noise.
Obligations. Competing priorities. Deadlines. The endless scroll. People you know, and plenty you don’t.
We can waste so much energy on what doesn’t matter. The gossip. The noise. The weeds. And in the process, we forget what does: our north star. Our priorities. Our mission. The work.
There’s an African proverb I have in my office that's the best reminder of what not to give my attention to.
It reads:
“The lion doesn’t turn around when the small dog barks.”
I stumbled on it during a time when I really needed it. As they say, when the student is ready the teacher appears.
For me, the small dogs come in a variety of breeds.
Sometimes it’s the completely unnecessary, mean-spirited reply to a message encouraging someone to recognize their Admins.
Or the minor typo in an e-blast that feels earth-shattering the second I realize it's already gone out.
The seatmate on a long flight who claims both armrests like they bought them - while I'm stuck in the middle.
The snarky comment on social media from someone I barely know and am pretty sure I wouldn't even like - if I did.
For you, maybe the small dogs are things like:
The coworker who makes a passing comment that diminishes your role.
The one mistake you made alongside the twenty things you got perfect.
The person who questions why you’re in the meeting (until they need the answer only you have).
Different faces. Same bark.
The temptation is to turn around. To argue. To defend. To explain.
But lions don’t explain themselves to small dogs.
Because the truth is, there will always be distraction. Critics. Doubters.
Things that don't go your way. Voices pulling you sideways. Emails meant to sting. Comments designed to derail.
Whatever form it takes, the practice is the same:
To return to your center.
To hold fast to your priorities.
To walk toward your north star without turning back.
Because the small dogs will always bark.
But lions? Lions don't turn around. They just keep walking.
Lions have bigger things to do.