There are at least five success principles we can learn by taking a little time to observe some ants at work:

1. Active

I have never seen an ant stay still for too long. In fact they seem only pause to consult with their friends or think something through (well that’s what it looks like when I have observed them

The key is they are active. They don’t just sit down and dream. A dreamer is always saying “I wish that this would happen, or that would not happen. I wish, I wish”. They spend their whole lives wishing.

A successful person is always turning a dream into a plan, then turning the plan into a strategy and then following his strategy with ACTION.

2. Creative

One of the most creative little thinkers I have seen in the insect world is the ant. Yes it does seem that the ant has a brain.

Interesting Fact: It has been estimated that an ant’s brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer. Illustrated facts about the ant (for kids)

When my sister and I were young our parents took us camping many times. It was always fun, especially the trips around the North Island of New Zealand. We would cross the straight on the boat, car and all and then drive up one side and come back the other.

Our tent was a reasonable size and could accommodate a small folding table. We would leave some things on the table when we went off site seeing. Only problem was we came back to find an army of ants found the goodies on the table.

Well we had a plan. We filled up four containers with water and placed each table leg in the container. Ant’s will not cross water. Next day we came back from our site seeing to find that the ants also had a plan! They had climbed up the walls of the tent, crossed the roof and dropped from the roof onto the table!

How creative is that!

Use your creativity in your planning and you will always find a way to conquer obstacles and succeed with your goals.

3. Persistent

Have you ever tried to stop an ant in its track? I am sure you have. I would often put a rock in an ants path in an attempt to stop it from reaching it’s goal. But no, it would climb over the top or go around the rock.

There is no way of stopping a little ant from achieving its purpose!

Are you unstoppable?

4. Team Player

That little ant is a great team player. I am sure that if you have watched some ants at work for any length of time you would have seen a group of them almost stuck together.

What are they doing? According to scientists, they are communicating. They do this by touching each other with their antennae. Ants also use chemicals called pheromones to leave scent trails for other ants to follow.

It is also known that if worker ant has found a good source for food, it leaves a trail of scent so that the other ants in the colony can find the food.

Are you a team player? One of the great keys to success is to help others to succeed. When you do that, you can’t help but succeed yourself.

5. Clean

The other day a twitter follower ProsperbyDesign (Melissa Gait) made an interesting comment. She stated:

Clutter is the physical manifestation of indecision. MAKE A DECISION, now!

How true this is. When there is clutter around our office and home you can be sure that area is not clean.

My grandmother also often used to say: “Cleanliness is next to godliness”. I think there is a lot to be said for that also.

Ants are clean and tidy insects. Some worker ants are given the job of taking the rubbish from the nest and putting it outside in a special rubbish dump!

If your surroundings are clean and organized you certainly do have a head start on being able to clarify and organize your mind.

Yes the ant can teach us a lot about how to be successful. There is a reason we find the wisest man in the world telling us to Go to the ant, … ; consider her ways, and be wise: (Proverbs 6:6)

Follow the example of the ant and:

Years back, I was part of a class of about 20 in a Bible School. From there I went out to the mission field and accomplished some things.

During a vacation time back in New Zealand I met up with one of my companions from this class and he told me that few really did anything after graduating.

Then he told me that rumors were running around between the students that I was the only one who knew what they were going to do and went out and did it. Mm – rather sad, but so true in every walk of life. So few really know what they want or are going to do.

I am attracted to young people a lot. I like to encourage them (sometimes push them) to go out and achieve.

One of the questions I like to ask a youngster is: What are your goals in life? Many don’t have a clue, in fact about 90% don’t know.

We are created with a sense of destiny. We are meant to do great things. You are meant to do great things. There is something you can all do that noone else can. That means if you don’t fulfill your destiny, there will be a gap left in the world.

So the question is Do you know where you are going? Do you know what your life’s purpose is? If you don’t everything you do is in danger of losing its meaning very quickly.

Lets consider some thought provoking questions which perhaps will wake us up to realize we have a destiny:

After I leave this planet, in what way would this world be a better place because I was once here?

If I was to face my last few minutes on this earth right now, what would be my greatest regret? (What have I not done, that I know deep down I should have done, or be doing?)

If I was to be given 6 weeks to live, what changes would I make right away?

In other words, we were all born with a destiny or purpose to fulfill.

We all have:

• The ability to influence. – What kind of influence do you want to be to the world around you? The world at large?
• The ability to create. – What kind of life do you want to create for yourself and those around you? Your life affects others, no getting away from that.
  (How do we “create” our lives? – Remember the topics on Succeed in Your Mind? Our thoughts cause our actions. So our thoughts and our actions create our lives AND our destiny).
• The ability to be unique. – No one else can copy you. You are special, you have something to contribute to the world around you that no one else can.
  What unique qualities do you notice in yourself? Are you sharing these with those around you?
• The ability to succeed and to live in abundance. The only thing that can change that is YOU and your thoughts. Are your thoughts and actions helping or hindering this purpose?
• The ability to live in health. (Yes we ourselves have a huge influence on our bodies simply by the many choices we make as we journey through life).

So I challenge you today, find your purpose in life and then GO OUT AND DO IT!