Part of the guide: Personal Brand
Jim Rohn’s Ant Philosophy and his lesson of the seasons are two philosophies that are almost inseparable. In fact, they seamlessly merge together. One of the main reasons for this is that an ant’s activity is usually dictated by the seasons. There are a few differences between the two, however, the philosophies complete each other.
The first Ant Philosophy is that ants never quit. When an ant’s path is blocked it doesn’t throw up its arms and say “oh well I guess I’ll just go home”. Ants will look for a different way until they find it. Ants explore all their options, and if something is blocking their path they’ll go up down or around until they get past the obstacle and get to where they’re headed.
The second Ant Philosophy is that ants think winter all summer. All summer long an ant is thinking “hurry, hurry, get the food bring it back, winters coming, get the food bring it back, hurry, hurry.” That’s why when you see an ant they’re always scurrying around in a big rush because they’re constantly preparing for the coming winter.
The third Ant Philosophy is that ants think summer in the winter. In the winter ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long, summer will soon be here and we’ll be out gathering food again.” When the first warm day arrives the ants will be out and about. If it gets cold again the ants will go back in the ground again but, as soon as they get a warm day they take that opportunity and get outside and get to work.
Here’s the last Ant Philosophy. How much do you think an ant will gather in the summer to prepare for the coming winter? An ant will gather as much as he possibly can! An ant doesn’t stop and say, “Well that’s enough for me, I think I’ll stop here.” An ant goes out and gets as much food for the winter as time will allow. What a great philosophy!
The humble ant has a fantastic philosophy, and I think we can all learn a lot from our little friends; don’t quit, look ahead, stay positive, and do as much as you can. These are great philosophies that everyone should strive to incorporate into their lives on both a personal and a business level.
In Prosperity,
Eric & Lauren Kalberer
P.S. Leave your comments and thoughts below!
Comments
John Parker, August 10, 2011, 09:30
The Ant Philosophy is such a powerful concept. It’s amazing how much we can learn from something as simple as the behavior of ants. This is a great reminder to stay persistent and always think ahead.
Emily Rogers, August 10, 2011, 10:15
I love how this philosophy can be applied both personally and in business. The idea of thinking winter all summer is especially relevant. It’s all about preparation and never becoming complacent. Thanks for sharing this!
Michael Brown, August 10, 2011, 11:00
This really resonates with me, especially the part about not quitting. It’s easy to get discouraged when things don’t go as planned, but this philosophy encourages us to keep pushing forward no matter what.
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Start free →Sarah Williams, August 10, 2011, 11:45
It’s fascinating how such a small creature can teach us such big lessons. The Ant Philosophy is something I’ll definitely be thinking about as I work towards my goals. Great post!
Chris Johnson, August 10, 2011, 12:30
The idea of gathering as much as you can during the summer really struck a chord with me. It’s a great metaphor for making the most of opportunities when they arise. I’ll be applying this to my own life for sure.
Amy Davis, August 10, 2011, 13:15
I’ve always admired Jim Rohn’s teachings, and this is one of my favorites. The Ant Philosophy is such a simple yet profound way to approach life and business. Thanks for the insightful post!
David Harris, August 10, 2011, 14:00
This is a great reminder that success isn’t about huge leaps but consistent, persistent effort. The Ant Philosophy really puts things into perspective. Thanks for sharing this valuable lesson.
Laura Thompson, August 10, 2011, 14:45
Thank you for sharing Jim Rohn’s Ant Philosophy. It’s a timeless lesson that I think everyone can benefit from. I’ll definitely be passing this along to my team. Keep up the great work!
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Every generation rediscovers the ant. We had this exact metaphor with a beetle instead in the ’90s. Same four points, different bug.
Gus’s colony point reminds me of two cooks I had at the diner, same hours, same recipes, same effort by any measure I could see. One built a following that kept coming back for years. The other, just as hardworking, never quite caught on, and I never fully worked out why. The ant philosophy is true as far as it goes. It just doesn’t account for the years I watched effort and outcome come apart from each other for reasons that had nothing to do with quitting.
Birdie’s two cooks match something I saw building a team for years. Persistence mattered, genuinely, I’m not walking that back. But timing, who got in early, whose upline was actually functional, mattered at least as much, and the ant philosophy has no room in it for the version of the story where the diligent ant just happened to be standing on bad ground.
This is basically the same slide every regional director’s kickoff meeting opened with for twenty-two years, minus the insects — persistence, preparation, never enough is ever enough. I used to deliver a version of it myself, with a straight face, to people whose actual outcomes had far more to do with territory allocation and market conditions than with how hard they personally gathered anything. The ant philosophy works beautifully as a metaphor for individual effort. It works terribly as an explanation for why some ants end up running the colony and others end up carrying crumbs for it, which is the actual question that matters once you’re the one doing the carrying.