“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”

– Booker T. Washington

When walking the other day, this amazing event happened – a tiny ant dragging a large (but quite dead) centipede. It became the highlight of my walk – and I was ensconced with this marvel of nature – and ants. This little fellow appeared to have succeeded, despite its size.

Success

It dragged its treasure over 25 feet before disappearing into its anthill. I can only imagine the cheers several feet below, to personify the ant world.

“Good ant, Jeremy! We knew you could do it!”, or “Annie, you are some ant, and so very generous to bring us lunch!”.

Regardless of what might have been said, we have a lot to learn about nature if we pay attention.

The Takeaway

My takeaway was this: Be clear about what we want, why we want it, focus on how, and put in the hard work to get it. But not at any cost. Who we are as we pursue our life’s intentions is as important as how we go about getting them. Adversity reveals character, and as we pursue our intentions, we will face both obstacles and support from outside and inside of us. We are a part of the larger human community, and we owe it to our community to live with integrity, respect one another, and remain mindful of the impact and the benefit of our intentions.

If it’s for the greater good – go for it, without question. If it is self-focused, go for it after careful reflection

-Micki McMillan