Rating: ★★★★★
Date Read: March 12, 2025
I read The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life by Boyd Varty on my family’s spring break trip to Anna Maria Island in Florida. I’m in my mid-40s, and I have been ruminating on the question: What am I really meant to be doing?
Here are the thoughts that resonated most with me:
Tracking Your Own Path
“Don’t jump to then what. You have a first track. If you go and get some of what you need, you might get a second first track.”
Varty uses his experiences in the wild to illustrate that life doesn’t present us with clear paths or directions. Instead, it offers us first tracks—small clues that hint at a possible way forward.
“The journey to transformation is a series of first tracks.”
Once you find a first track, follow it with intention. If you’re lucky, you might find a second first track.
“I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there.”
Losing the Track
“In the bush and in life, we don’t get trails fully laid out. We get tremendous unknowns and, if we are lucky, first tracks. Then next first tracks.”
One of the most comforting lessons in the book is that losing the track is part of tracking.
Moving forward means sometimes losing your way. Any place without a track is not wasted, but rather part of refining where to look.
It’s easy to view dead ends as failures, but they are actually part of the process of narrowing down where to focus your efforts. It’s an iterative process that doesn’t always have a predictable outcome.
Sharing Your Journey
The book closes with the idea of finding your gift and sharing it. It’s a reminder that personal transformation isn’t just about self-discovery but also about sharing what you’ve learned with others.
“There is nothing more healing than finding your gifts and sharing them.”
Final Thoughts
This book encouraged me to embrace uncertainty, understand that it’s okay to move forward without a clear direction in mind, and to trust that the next first track will reveal itself in time.
It’s a powerful message for anyone standing at a crossroads, looking for the courage to take that first step.
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