Never Give up. Have you ever felt like just giving up when things got difficult? We’ve probably all felt like that at one time or another.
Personal development great Jim Rohn used ants as a way to illustrate the benefits of never giving up. He called his approach “The Ant Philosophy” and it is so simple and powerful that I wanted to share it with you.
The Ant Philosophy by Jim Rohn
Over the years I taught children about a simple but powerful concept – the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. Ants have an amazing four-part philosophy that can help all of us to persevere rather than giving up. Let’s look at the four fundamentals of The Ant Philosophy.
1. Ants never quit. 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, and 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.
2. 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 it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.
3. 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.
4. Ants are amazingly productive. 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.
Never give up and never quit
I hope you found encouragement in this story. There will always be obstacles to overcome and challenges to be met. Next time you are thinking about quitting, think about the ant philosophy and then gather your strength and go for it. There is always value in perseverance.
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