Translating a World on the Edge

Are you an ant, or a butterfly?

Are you self-motivated enough to finish what you start? Or do you flit from one thing to another?

Sometimes we have a great plan, with great goals and values. But when the plan doesn’t achieve immediate success, we jump quickly into something else.

We flit, like a butterfly, dipping from flower to flower. Maybe we do this out of fear of failure, or financial pressure, or some other distraction–but we do it. And we do it too frequently.

Butterflies are beautiful, but in their days as a caterpillar they can eat through a garden. You’ve heard of The Hungry Caterpillar?

The tiny ant can teach us self-motivation. Ants get organized. They stay focused. They see their plan through to a completed anthill. (Unless someone comes with ant-killer!) And in the end, working together, they have created something good—not only for themselves, but for their cohorts.

So, I’m going to stay a little bit longer with what I’m doing. I’m going to ignore the beauty of the butterfly and concentrate on the ant. I’m not going to fold up my chair and leave the hall. I might miss the music of something really grand. I’m going to stay with it, and stay alive!