“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” ― Socrates
All of us tend to look up to big people for lessons on how to get better. We are keen to learn the secrets of their success. But we forget that sometimes the biggest lessons in life come from the smallest folks around us. Now that’s a good lesson to remember!
Take ants for instance. Would you believe those small creatures could teach us how to live a better life? Jim Rohn, the great motivational guru, developed what he called the ‘Ants Philosophy’.
He identified four key lessons from the behavior of ants that can help us lead better lives. Here is the short list on the Ant Philosophy:
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First: Ants never quit. That’s a good philosophy. If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over, they’ll climb under, and they’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.
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Second: Ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.
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Third: Ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.
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Fourth: And here’s the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-you-possibly-can” philosophy.
Ant is a creature on earth that is small but unusually wise. The philosophy on the wisdom of these small creatures can serve as a good learning point for our life.
In a nutshell:
- Never give up
- Look ahead
- Stay positive
- Do all you can
I leave you now with the original sound recording of Jim Rohn explaining the Ant Philosophy and I hope you enjoy it.
Source: The Ant Philosophy by Jim Rohn
Simply Simple 