The best place to go for motivation. There’s a story behind that. This is your daily message from Chad number 668 to upgrade your mental game today by telling yourself a better story because the most important story you hear is the story you tell yourself. This message is dedicated to Dr. Henry Cloud.

Yesterday’s message was about how small things can have a big impact. In terms of human harm, mosquitos kill more people than elephants. Another counterintuitive example of something small having an outsized impact is with motivation. The ancient wisdom from the book of Proverbs is:

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

You would think the mountains or the sun would be more motivating. I’m supposed to learn a lesson from tiny ants? Yep! Think about it, they are intrinsically motivated. They have no commander. They just do what needs to be done. No one is telling them what to do. They just do it.

One of my favorite talks is by Art Williams. If you ever need inspired, to a search for “Art Williams Just Do It”. I can’t do it justice, so I won’t even try. His good ol’ boy, country twang is what I think makes it so unique. You can listen to it here.

Ants know something, which is the reason they are so proactive. They know winter is coming. They are smart. They do the work when the work needs done, so they’re ready for the bad times. They prepare for winter during summer and harvest. They do the right thing, at the right time, and do it in the right way. It’s not a bad mindset to think winter all summer long. It will keep you working hard.

One final lesson from the ant is persistence. These little boogers are tenacious. If their home is knocked over or an obstacle is put in their way, they keep moving. They plow ahead and don’t stop. One thing you will never hear of is a discouraged ant. Their resolve is endless.

So the three lessons from these small creatures is they are proactive, prepare, and persist. I don’t think you can find a better example of motivation than the ant.

1. Be proactive (don’t wait for someone to tell you what needs done – just do it)
2. Be prepared (don’t wait for something to happen before you plan – get ahead)
3. Be persistent (don’t let anything stop you!)

If you can think of a better example than the ant, email me at fromchadsmith@gmail.com. You can find these messages on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify by searching @fromchad. You can read the transcript of this message and hundreds of others at fromchad.com.