In the human world, smaller is often associated with less. A smaller TV is less impressive, a smaller body is less strong and a smaller business is less lucrative. Today, however, we are not only going to be proven otherwise, but we are also going to be taught priceless wisdom by one of the world’s smallest creatures; the leafcutter ant.
Slice up big challenges
No matter how hard you think achieving a goal is, it will always feel much easier to accomplish if you break it down into more manageable steps.
The leafcutter ant uses its jaw to cut too-heavy foliage into smaller pieces.
Never underestimate your abilities
How small is the leaf cutter ant? Not more than 12 millimetres. Yet, it can lift 50 times its own weight!
No matter how small you think of your own abilities, think again. Do not underestimate your magic. You may surprise yourself and the world with what you are really capable of.
You matter
Some of us may think very small of our lives. We think that we do not have much of an impact on the world. We may even think of our lives as disposable; that the world will not really care or miss us if we suddenly get swallowed up by a magical hole beneath us. This could not be more wrong.
The leafcutter ant lives in colonies. Each ant has a specific role to play. There are foragers, workers, soldiers, trash-gatherers, gardeners and an egg-laying queen. Each role is as important as the other in the survival of the colony.
Are you still feeling unimportant?
Get as much support as you can get
Raised on a culture that is all about independence, I feel that a lot of us have been conditioned not to ask for help – even when we need it.
If the leafcutter ant did everything on its own, it would certainly not have achieved much. However, thanks to its willingness to get help from other ants (a colony can comprise as many as 10 million ants!), it is able to achieve all its goals.
Do not forget to connect with people who share similar struggles, hopes and dreams.
Do not forget to give
Though the leafcutter ant is extremely busy with its own tasks, it does not forget to help humans from time to time. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the leafcutter ant has helped scientists make huge leaps in pharmaceuticals and clean energy alternatives.