Let me tell you about two types of workers…
The cow works 8 hours a day, every day. Steady. Predictable. Just munching grass and doing their thing. Never too excited, never too lazy. Just constant.
The lion? Totally different animal (literally).
The lion operates in intense bursts. They’ll go days without a kill, conserving energy, staying ready. Then when it’s time to hunt – holy shit – it’s 100% focus, speed, and power.
See, most people work like cows. They measure success by time spent:
“I put in my 8 hours today”
“Another 40 hour week done”
“Gotta clock in by 9am sharp”
But lions don’t care about time spent. They care about results. A lion doesn’t say “well I hunted for 4 hours today but didn’t catch anything… at least I put the hours in!”
That’s insane. Lions only eat what they kill.
Here’s why the lion approach wins:
- Energy management > time managementWhen you work like a lion, you protect your peak energy hours like they’re sacred. Because they are. Those 2-3 hours where you’re in the zone? Worth more than 8 hours of zombie-mode work.
- Recovery is part of the processLions spend 20 hours a day resting. Sounds lazy right? Nope. They’re conserving energy for when it matters. The cow working 8 steady hours never reaches peak performance. They’re too busy being busy.
- Results > everythingLions don’t get medals for effort. Neither should you. Stop measuring success by time spent and start measuring by results produced.
I learned this the hard way…
When I started my first company, I thought working like a cow was the answer. 60-hour weeks! Grinding! No days off!
But I was confusing motion with progress.
Now I work like a lion. Some days I do almost nothing. Other days I’ll work 16 hours straight in a state of flow that feels like a cheat code for productivity.
My output is 3x higher. My stress is 3x lower.
This is why you see lions all over my website. It’s a reminder: intensity beats consistency.
Don’t be the cow grazing mindlessly in the field.
Be the lion. Patient. Focused. Ready to pounce when it matters.
The modern world wants you to be a cow. Predictable. Reliable. Always available.
But the highest performers are lions. They know that rest isn’t laziness – it’s preparation. That intensity beats consistency. That results matter more than routines.
So here’s my challenge to you: for the next week, try working like a lion.
Protect your peak energy hours.
Rest without guilt.
When it’s time to hunt, give it everything.
Watch what happens to your results.
Oh and one more thing…
Next time someone gives you the “you need to be grinding 24/7” speech, just remember:
The lion sleeps 20 hours a day, but nobody calls the lion lazy.
Be the lion.
Mike
