I sat, my eyes glued to the floor as I watched these little creatures arrive a place where some little food particle were littered. As if a whistle had been blown heralding them to arrive that scene, they lined up in a curved line leading to the food particles and back to wherever they were coming from.
As each got to the scene, it tried to pick a bit of the particles; if it was unable to do that, the next joins and on it goes until they are able to successfully move the food away following the procession back to their store.
I watched with admiration at how busy they all were, working hard to carry as much food as they could. Then my mind quickly went to the bible, remembering how we were admonished to “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” (Prov 6:6). It was really a sight worth beholding…
Somehow, I got distracted attending to other activities but after a while, I remembered there was a beautiful activity I was watching. Quickly getting back to that spot to know what became of them, I couldn’t find them or the food particles anymore. I smiled and applauded them for sailing all that stuff away.
I mused over how they’ll probably be congratulating themselves for the great work they did. Bravo!
Have you watched a scene similar to the one above? I know some of you have. But most times, we walk away without really thinking deep into the lessons these little creatures have to teach us. One of these lessons is the ‘success tips’ I’ll share with you.
Success is the achievement/accomplishment of one’s aims, goals or purpose.
As young women desiring to live a radiant life, attaining our life’s goals and dreams is one thing we shouldn’t overlook.
Such goals vary for different seasons of life, and could be either short or long term goals. They could be in various areas of our lives such as spiritual, academics, professional, social, marital, financial, etc.
I know most of us have read books and other materials that encourage us to set SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals. But it’s not just about setting these goals; the heart of the matter is in actually achieving/attaining those goals.
I really want to more than just set and write down my goals, I want to accomplish them.
As I sat one day, listening to one of the great messages of Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, he outlined the attributes of these little creatures using the letters of its name – ANTS. I took note of it.
Latter, I picked up that note and carefully studied these attributes as I sought how to apply them to my own life. If the bible could tell us to “consider her ways (how these little creatures live) and be wise”, then there must be real gems in them.
What I discovered studying these attributes were really profound. They actually opened my eyes to principles that when applied to any area of life, will make one really successful and radiant.
I’ll share them with you because I want you to be successful in all you do.
The ANTS Principle of Success
- Activity with Initiative
- Networking with Interest
- Tenacity in Industry
- Selflessness with Insight
Activity with Initiative
Initiative means taking a first step to do what you ought to do without waiting to be pushed; ability to act first or on ones own.
Prov 6:7 (Which having no guide, overseer or ruler) – tells us that ants are self-starters; they get down working without supervision and coercion. They don’t have a supervisor pushing them around or urging them before they get their work done.
One factor that drives these creatures into action without waiting to be pushed is – an understanding of their purpose. Ants are a very organized and purpose-driven set of creatures. The society of ants is so organized that in every colony, there are different castes of ants such as soldiers, workers, drones, etc, each performing different tasks that are essential to their survival. Every caste in the colony understands its purpose (knows what its job description is), and what it should be doing at a particular time, and it goes to do it without sluggishness and reluctance.
Purpose is a very important driving force in life. Just like ants, you must understand the purpose of your living, the reason you are where you are, and what you should be doing each point in time to achieve that purpose.
Don’t wait to be coerced, given incentives, prodded or procrastinate forever before you get your work done. Always take initiative, be self-motivated, and have the drive and passion to accomplish your tasks.
If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for. You were made by God and for God – and until you understand this, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end. (Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life).
Networking with Interest
No one is an island of knowledge. Everyone achieves more when they walk together. Ants understand this; consequently, they work together as a team and for the team.
Don’t be a lone ranger or isolate yourself from others and expect to achieve much. You should learn to work with other people in order to reach your goal. Solicit and leverage on the help and wisdom of others where necessary in order to achieve something more substantial.
Living for yourself and by yourself is not the way to go. Someone explained the word TEAM as Together Everybody Achieves Much.
Working successfully as a team however demands patience, respect for one another, accepting the opinion of others, tolerance, communication and humility.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”
Helen Keller
Tenacity in Industry
Ants are an epitome of industry. Although they are small and feeble creatures, they employ great diligence in providing their own food – travelling far distances, climbing over trees, walls, high and low places, and everywhere they can get their food. They are not hindered by obstacles and disappointments; rather, they find a way to solve their problems, and then keep pressing on till they succeed.
For example, if a path to a food source is blocked by an obstacle, foraging ants don’t just give up and turn back, they only leave the path to explore new routes to the food source.
Moreover, an ant can lift up an object twenty times its weight. In a BBC documentary, ants were seen constructing a makeshift rafter to cross a flooded area in a forest. That’s industry/dexterity; the ability to get things done no matter how daunting it seems.
Success cannot be recorded without work- hard work; and hard work requires tenacity (being determined, persistent, able to grip something firmly). Therefore, to have a truly successful and remarkable life, you must put away laziness because, “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man (Prov 6: 10-11).
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Thomas A. Edison
Selflessness with Insight
Aside from their working together, ants are always willing and ready to share things among themselves. For example, as scout ants move about, they leave behind a scent trail for the rest of the army to follow once food has been located.
However, these ants are insightful – the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of someone or something. They do not act without discretion. They are able to make responsible decisions; weighing their actions and knowing what to do at a particular time. In Prov 6:8, the bible says it “provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest”.
As much as we are encouraged to be selfless (concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one’s own), we ought to do that with discretion. We wouldn’t get into anything that will be detrimental to our soul, or against the word of God.
Also, just like the ants “provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest”, we should know what we ought to do at each time and do that aptly and promptly. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Eccl. 3:1).
Here is the great secret of success. Work with all your might; but trust not in the least in your work. Pray with all your might for the blessing of God; but work, at the same time, with all diligence, with all patience, with all perseverance. Pray then, and work. Work and pray. And still again pray, and then work. And so on all the days of your life. The result will surely be, abundant blessing. Whether you see much fruit or little fruit, such kind of service will be blessed… George Muller
Finally, success in life isn’t based on luck and chance, but on wisdom and hard work.
We as higher and special creatures of God should learn from these little creatures and do greater exploits!
Now answer these questions! You can share you answers with us in the comment section below…
- Which of these tips do you think you have to put to work so as to achieve your goals, and what practical steps do you intend taking?
- What other lessons have you learnt from the life of these little creatures – the ants?
Remain Radiant!