Ant Philosophy

I have a book full of notes taken from listening to audio recordings of Jim Rohn, who is possibly one of the most amazing gurus of personal development and a personal hero of mine. Every so often, I go back to these notes for inspiration. Here’s the sample of a brilliant idea he presents called Ant Philosophy.

Ants Never Quit 

You may squish their little anthill; they will build it again and again. You may keep flicking an ant away from your food, but it will keep coming back, again and again. Ants will go over, under, and around anything in their way to get where they are supposed to be! The message for us is to be like the Ant. Keep Trying. Keep moving forward and find ways to get to where we want to go in life.

Ants Think Winter All Summer

Ants work hard all summer planning and preparing for the hardship of Winter. They forage for food, and they work incredibly hard to stock up for surviving the harsh winters. The message for us is this. When things are going well, we should not give in to comfort. Instead, we need to proactively prepare for the difficult moments that we will encounter in the future. Good times don’t always last. So we also need to look ahead. 

Ants Think Summer All Winter.

In the Winter, Ants go underground and patiently bide their time. They know that good weather will return, and they can get back to being active. At the first sign of warm weather, they can’t wait to get out and get on with their hustle. The message for us is that tough times don’t last. Good times will always return. We need to have faith and stay positive always.

Ants Give Their Best Always.

How much food will an ant gather in the summer to prepare for the Winter? The answer is- all it possibly can. An ant does not ration its effort. On the contrary, it tries to maximize its effort always. The message for us is that, like an ant, we should do all we can. 

All of us can adapt the Ant Philosophy as a mental model for living life. So keep trying, always look ahead, stay positive, and do all that you can do. 

Find your inner Ant.