What ANTS have to teach us?

All the best work is done the way that ants do things -- by tiny but untiring and regular additions. Lafcadio Hearn

Ants may not be a subject of great interest to many of you. Others may look at them as simple insects that need to be squeezed and eliminated. But the truth is that ants’ characteristics and habits can be a great source of inspirations to all of us. They are tiny but wise, and can provide us with great lessons about life from different perspectives.

They risk to be easily crushed anytime, but they are able to keep a positive attitude and move ahead as they are goal-oriented.

Indeed, they represent an excellent example we can rely on to learn and grow personally and professionally. We often search for external sources of inspirations including great motivational books or seminars but the reality is that nature holds a lot of meaningful and inspirational examples. So what do ANTS have in specific that make them so unique and inspirational?

Here are key lessons we can learn from ANTS:

Perseverance: ants are tiny but untiring insects. They never give up until they accomplish their goals. Have you ever tried to stop an ant while trying to reach a destination? It may shift right or left, climb over or under, but an ant will never quit. They will always find a new way to handle the present situation. We look giants compared to them but we will never have their courage and determination. We are physically much stronger, but we may be mentally destabilized with the first crisis faced with.

Many people devote much time to muscles' building as a sigh of physical strength, but the real strength is to keep moving forward despite unhappy situation or hardship.

Some people may need more faith to do so; others may need to develop a positive attitude. The reality is that they are both interrelated because with faith we can live a positive life and adopt a positive attitude.

Proactive: ants are very well known for their pro-activeness regarding the food they gather during the whole summer with inherent commitments. The first warm day, they are out to prepare for winter storage. For this, they don’t need supervisors, coaches, or managers to accomplish their goals simply because they are self-motivated. How many of you still need guidance and supervision to handle their daily tasks? Do you have any strategy to go over it? How many of you are able to accomplish their tasks with or without the presence of their managers?   

Team players: Ants are social insects. They are excellent in living in large colonies or groups. Despite being numerous, everything is well structured around them. They don’t have ears, but they can "hear" through vibrations in the ground and fit easily within the team.  Ants function in respect to their own community. The way they handle their relationships with others reflect a lot of organization, interpersonal skills and respect to each one’s role. How many of us are able to accept changes of roles within an organization and adapt to keep moving smoothly without biases and complaints.

Daily habits: many great leaders realized after many years of experience and struggle that it’s not the big steps that accelerate success but rather the daily habits installed that can generate inner satisfaction and high level of achievements.  We can observe this methodology in the daily habits of ants for both their daily and winter food storage. What about your daily habits? Are you patient and perseverant enough to accomplish your goals or you easily give up?

Nature was created to serve us at different levels. It can be a source of inspirations to many of us; it can provide us with a variety of lessons that can enlarge our vision and enhance our learnings before seeking external help or sources. Nothing has been created by chance or exists by coincidence but it does for a specific reason. The ants’ philosophy can be viewed by some people as something miscellaneous, not even something to be considered for further observation. Others may simply look at them as something to be eliminated and crushed.

Their philosophy is deeper than simple attributes and daily habits. It can reflect somehow other lessons about our daily reality.  An ant may look small but can lift 20 times its own body weight. This implies also that the way we view things may not be the reality. Many people around us may look tiny or simply different, but behind each one of us there is a big story, and great efforts that encompass many other hidden attributes we may not see.

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can. Jim Rohn