Pro 6:6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. (ESV)
With the renowned British weather now giving us more hot sunny days than cold or wet days, a whole manner of insects and bugs thrive in the new season. All of a sudden they stir from their slumber and begin to make life all the more interesting, often at the most inconvenient times and in the most annoying of ways!
One of these creatures is the ant. Think about ants – have you ever watched how they do things? Before you knock over an anthill or get the boiling water ready, let’s look at five things we can learn from ants about getting things done.
Firstly, ants build huge colonies to survive in. Although one ant may seem insignificant, each ant has the bigger picture in mind – it knows how its particular task contributes towards the bigger picture of things. If we know the bigger picture of what we are trying to achieve, it can help us make decisions and prioritise tasks as we take steps towards our goal.
Secondly, ants work with what they have got. They make use of any resources around them – twigs, leaves, stones, whatever they can get hold of. Sometimes we let lack of resources be an excuse to not begin the tasks before us when we could use it as an opportunity to be resourceful, creative and adventurous.
Thirdly, ants do things bit by bit. A mammoth task is broken down into many smaller, more manageable jobs. And as the ant diligently perseveres, even the biggest obstacle is moved. We can draw inspiration from this – no matter how big the task in front of us is, often we just need to do one bit at a time. As we keep going we start to see the impact our seemingly small actions have.
Fourthly, ants keep going. If they don’t, the odds are they won’t survive. They are persistent and persevere – they don’t quit. They are faithful and hard working which, like us, is the only way they will see the results they want to.
Fifthly, ants prepare for the season ahead of them. During the summer, they collect their food for the winter months. They don’t live in the moment or refuse to think ahead but instead work now to save problems later down the line. Ants don’t procrastinate because if they do, there could be a big problem approaching they would be unable to deal with later down the line. They show us what it means to think about what is coming.
Ants are persistent and hard working. They don’t bite off more than they can chew. They work bit by bit. If we want to be productive and successful, let’s remember the ant.
Anthony Hilder is a professional life coach based at www.lifematters.me.uk. Previously he was involved in church leadership and corporate banking. He blogs at www.anthilder.co.uk.
Leave a Reply