I
read Jim Rohn talking about teaching kids about a simple but powerful
concept —
the ant philosophy. He thinks everybody should study ants. They
have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants
never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and
you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over,
they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. 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
gather 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 it is important to think ahead. In the
summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you
enjoy the sand and sun.
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. They 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 philosophy to have—the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.
