The Ant Philosophy

The Ant Philosophy

~By Jim Rohn

"The ants are a people not strong, yet they gather their food in the summer." Proverbs 30:26

Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept - The Ant Philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy.

The first part is: Ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they will look for another way. They'll climb over. They'll climb under. They'll climb around. They keep looking for another way until they find one. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

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 while it may seem like sand is a good place to build in the summer when it's dry, you've got to think ahead to the storms of the winter when it is wet and where sand may not be so good when it floods. As you enjoy the sand and Summer sun, you've got to think rocks for a more solid foundation to weather the storms of Winter. Think ahead. Ants do.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that 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. During winter, they live in a state of positive expectation and can't wait to get out.

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.

Wow, what a great seminar - "The Ant Seminar," taught and lived by tiny six-legged creatures with brains smaller than the head of a pin, yet containing all the wisdom they need to succeed and survive.

1. Never give up.

2. Look ahead.

3. Stay positive.

4. Do all you can.

People write whole books on these topics while the life of an ant expresses these principles in less than a dozen words.