ANTS 501: SELF-MOTIVATION

Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer… – Proverbs 6:6-8

REFERENCE
Proverbs 6:6-11

To round off our series on ‘Myrmecology’ (study on ants), today, we will look at an integral contributing factor to the success of ants. A keen observation of the ants shows that they are self-motivated and are endowed with relentlessness – the ability to keep going on despite all odds. Some common traits in them include these facts:

a. They do what they “need” to do without being forced by guides and overseers.

b. They follow the leading of their natural instinct to do what needs to be done.

c.  They correct themselves when wrong.

d.  They don’t allow tiredness or discouragement to stop them.

e.  They don’t wait to get awards or rewards to do what’s right – their joy is in getting the job done. They are self-starters and self-motivated.

Notable amongst all these traits is the fact that they do not have a captain or coach who stimulates or psyches them; rather, they motivate (encourage) themselves to do whatever needs to be done, no matter how herculean the task is or how they feel. And this has added to their overall success.

Life throws us some of its harsh realities. Almost everything around us offers all kinds of discouragement. Every day you are presented with a thousand reasons to quit and stop making progress. But, the bible records in I Samuel 30:6 that David encouraged himself in the Lord in the face of discouragement and that brought him victory.

Thus, the final secret in our series to living a successful life is ‘SELF-MOTIVATION.’ Don’t let your dreams and ideas die because nobody is encouraging you, put action to them and work them till they work. Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. Not everyone will fertilize the seed of your dreams or ideas with words of encouragement; so, don’t wait to be prodded or scolded. Do what needs to be done despite the challenges around you; dust yourself when you fall and continue unto the lane to success.

If success doesn’t come after you, you have to go after it. The roots of true achievement lie in your ability to motivate yourself to become the best that you can become. I end with this Nike shoes tagline that I like, “The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t’ is you. And you don’t have to listen.”

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Joshua 1:9, Proverbs 24:10, & Philippians 4:13

PRAYER POINT
Pray that every wisdom tip you have learnt in this series will be put to good use in your life; that you will not be a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word.