The wisdom of the ant

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
   consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
   no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
   and gathers its food at harvest. [Proverbs 6:6-8]

In Proverbs 30:25-28, Solomon described four things that he had observed to be small but also extremely wise.  The first of these things was an ant.

"Ants are creatures of little strength,
   yet they store up their food in the summer" [Proverbs 30:25]

The wisdom of the ant is seen in its ability to plan ahead.   Being weak tiny incents, ants cannot survive in low temperatures.  The body temperature of ants changes in response to the atmospheric temperature. In winter, their body temperature falls so greatly that their movements inevitably grow sluggish. Therefore, they hibernate restlessly in relatively warm places, such as the soil or under the bark of trees.

Ants also eat a large amount of food in autumn to put on fat, thereby allowing them to go without food through the winter.

Nobody is absolutely certain about the future.  However, we are sure that there is bound to be a rainy day sometime in our lives.  For ants, that rainy day is usually the day that the winter season begins.  To protect themselves against the dreadful effects of winter, ants gather and store up their food in the summer.  How are you preparing for the rainy day in your life?

The 5 Benefits of Planning

"In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are." ~Arnold H. Glasgow

Successful people plan ahead. I highlighted this in my last post. I also highlighted the six areas for which they plan.  You can read this article and more at http://likeed.blospot.com.

As a follow-up to last week's article, today I want to share The 5 Benefits of Planning.

1 Direction

Having a well-laid-out plan of what you want to do in the coming days, weeks, months and years gives you a campus for your life.  There is very little guessing of the course you need to take in order to reach your desired destination.  The course is set. Your plan is the campus for your life.

2 Motivation

Having a well-laid-out plan of what you want to do in the coming days, weeks, months and years gives you something to look forward to when you wake up in the morning – be it having victory over a business competitor or tackling a challenge in something that you have been working upon, there is always something you look forward to when you wake up in the morning.

3 Perseverance

Having a well-laid-out plan of what you want to do in the coming days, weeks, months and years gives you the courage to press on in and through difficulties, challenges and setbacks.  Circumstances and people have little say on what you do.  You always have the courage to press on in and through difficulties, challenges and setbacks.

4 Speed

Having a well-laid-out plan of what you want to do in the coming days, weeks, months and years gives you the focus you need to accomplish things quickly.  You do not waste time on urgent and unimportant things, but concentrate on important things that are not urgent.   You accomplish things quickly.

5 Getting Things Done

Having a well-laid-out plan of what you want to do in the coming days, weeks, months and years gives you a schedule of the things that you need to do – and you do them.  This is the most important benefit of planning: you have a schedule of the things that you need to do – and you do them.

As 2011 comes to a close, I want to challenge you to start planning for 2012.  Do not leave it for January. You will lose precious time. Others who will already be doing while you will be still planning.

Successful People Plan Ahead

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. – Winston Churchill

Everybody has an equal chance of becoming successful in life.  If you look at it closely, you will see that those that succeed in life have a different – and better – way of doing things than those that do not succeed in life.  

They plan ahead.

Planning ahead is taking charge of your life. The things you use to take charge of your life are time, relations, money, personal development, career and leisure. If you plan and manage each of these things in your life, you will become more successful than you are today.

Time

Successful people schedule their days.  Their time is precious to them.  They do not wake up wondering what they are going to do today.  They already know.  Nor do they wait for someone to tell them what to do.  This enables them to get more things done than the average person and to succeed in life.

Relations

Successful people intentionally enter into and come out of relationships.  They understand the power of relationships.  They only pursue relationships that add value to them.  They do not pursue relationships that do not add value to them.  This enables them to get more things done than the average person and to succeed in life.

Money

Successful people master their money.  They do not allow it to master them.  They know that money is a good servant but a bad master.  They use money use money as a tool.  They make it do whatever it is that they want it to do. This enables them to get more things done than the average person and to succeed in life.

Personal Development

Successful people are pro-self-improvement.  They are involved in activities that increase their knowledge base and experience.  They take delight in being able to learn from others and sharing their knowledge and experience with others.  This enables them to get more things done than the average person and to succeed in life.

Career

Successful people pursue careers that are purposeful.  They work out of passion, not coercion.  They enjoy what they do and take great pride in it. They do the work they would do even if they were not going to get paid. This enables them to get more things done than the average person and to succeed in life.

Leisure

Successful people take breaks every now and then.  They know that time-out is better than burn-out.  They use this time to relax, have fun and rejuvenate.  They also use this time to review their progress towards their goals, recast their plans and create new plans.  This enables them to get more things done than the average person and to succeed in life.

Everybody has an equal chance of becoming successful in life. Your success in life will be determined by what you do with your time, the relationships you create, the way you handle money, your personal development goals, your vocation and your leisure activities.

To be successful in life:
·        Create a schedule of the things that you want to do with the time you have
·        Intentionally pursue relationships that add value to you
·        Master your money
·        Continually improve yourself
·        Engage in purposeful work
·        Take breaks from your work every now and then