Ants, a life lesson (or 4!)

We all tend to look up to big people, leaders, gurus, for lessons on how to live life better. But we forget that sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us.

Take ants, for instance. Would you believe those small creatures can teach us how to live a better life?

Who knew?  Jim Rohn, (personal development teacher to the personal development crowd!) points out

4 smart life lessons we can learn from the lowly ant.

1. Ants never quit. Have you noticed how ants always look for a way around an obstacle? Even if you put an obstacle in an ant’s path, it’s got somewhere it needs to go and it’s going to get there. Ants are persistent. They keep going and don’t quit. We should all learn to be like that. There are always obstacles in our lives. The challenge is to keep trying, keep looking for alternative routes to get to our goals. Are you as persistent as a little ant?
   
2. Ants think winter all summer long. Remember the fable of the ant and the grasshopper? In the middle of summer the ant was busy gathering food for the winter ahead, whle the grasshopper was out having a good time. Ants know that summer, the good times, won’t last forever. Winter will come. And the grasshopper didn’t make it. Planning for the future, peparing, not just livng for the moment is one of the better life lessons we all can strive for. We can stock our “shelves” with food, knowledge, good will and financial stability.
3. Ants think summer all winter long. Nothing lasts forever, even winter. When things are seemingly quiet and slow, ants are getting ready. The first warm day, they are out and ready to work, ready to play. When we are down and seemingly out, it’s good to remind ourselves that this too shall pass. Good times will come. During the slow period, it is a good time for us to focus, plan, strategize, learn, and get ready to get back out there. It’s important to retain a positive attitude and know things will get better. New opportunities will emerge, will you be ready for them?
4. How much will an ant gather in the summer? All he can.  Now that’s a great ethic to have. Do all you can! One ant doesn’t worry about how much food another ant is collecting. It doesn’t sit back and wonder why it should have to work so hard. Ants just do what’s in front of them to do. If you look around, you’ll find that successful people are those who just do all they possibly can and we should too: create, draw, paint, travel, love, earn, learn, live life as fully as we possibly can!

Sometimes it’s just fun to look for lessons in all the “wrong/right, big/small, weird/normal places! Where have you found useful lessons? Share your insights and take-aways. We’d love to hear from you!

Tags: ant and grasshopper story, ant lessons, Jim Rohn, life lessons