Was reminded of an old lesson by an ant yesterday.

I was sitting outside on my front steps having a snack as an ant was making its way towards me. I put my middle finger and thumb together and then just flicked it away. The ant landed one step below and continued on its trek from where it landed.

The Lesson of the Ant is simply to pick up from where you land.

How often do we get flicked by reality and ignore the Lesson of the Ant?

It seems we want to pick up from where we were, not where we are. That’s a strategy that will keep our destination forever on the horizon.

Reminds me of a conversation I was having with someone the other day. This person peppered our exchange with the phrase “I’m working really hard.” The intent was to let me know that their lack of reaching their destination wasn’t due to a lack of “hard” work.

Hard work is not an insurance policy to get what you want. You can be working hard on the wrong thing and falsely expect that it will deliver you to your destination.

At the core, this person wanted to begin from where they weren’t and no amount of hard work was going to make that happen.

That reminds me of another story I’ve told countless times. Years ago, I was out of work and looking for another job in broadcasting. I finally got an offer but my concern was the pay was less than I was making at my previous job. I was lamenting this fact to my friend Paul who succinctly delivered the Lesson of the Ant when he said, “It’s more than you’re making now.”

The illusion is that we can begin from where we were; the reality is we can only pick up from where we are.

Where have you landed? That’s has to be your starting point otherwise you’ll have a never ending series of frustrating fits and starts.

I’m grateful the ant showed up at my front porch picnic. His geography lesson was a refresher course that will get us back on course after a rough landing.

All the best,

John