Kung estudyante ako ngayon at pasusulatin ako ng pabola (fable), baka ang maisulat ko ay istoryang may kinalaman sa langgam o Alamat ng Langgam. Marami kasing tienes sa lifestyle ng mga insektong yan. Pero dahil mayroon ng Animated film na Antz at superhero movie na Ant Man, doon na lang ako sa 4 Career Lessons from Ants :p
- Time is Gold, be diligent in working/ saving – I am aware na common example ang mga insektong ito (alin ba mas masipag yung itim o pula?) pagdating sa kasipagan at pag-iimpok. Dati ang akala ko asukal, bread crumbs at ipa bang momo ng pagkain lang ang mga bet ng mga ‘yan. Pero minsan pati asin at itong nakaraan (ang inspirasyon ng post na ito) ay pati ang keyboard ko. O sige sisihin mo na ako baka kumakain ako sa harap ng computer at sumusuot ang mga talsik ng ngasab ko sa keyboard. Pero naman! Naglilinis naman ako pero nandyan pa rin sila why oh why?
I realized it must be because of their mission. Maybe they also watch news about El Nino Phenomenon at La Nina. Seriously, they are right about saving and working. Ang pag-iipon/ pagtatrabaho ay di lang kung kailan mo gusto, kundi sa lahat ng oras na kaya mo at may pagkakataon ka. Maybe saving become our natural habit if we feel it’s necessary for survival, emergency, and retirement.
- Find your opportunities. Ang isa ko pang napansin sa mga langgam ay ‘di sa lahat ng panahon ay nasa iisang lugar sila at puwede silang magpabalik-balik doon. Ganito ‘yan, may time na kahit mag-iwan ako ng biscuit na medyo matagal ay hindi lalanggamin. Pero minsan kahit sandali lang ay pinuputakti na nila. Minsan langgamin yung sa kuwarto ko pero minsan hindi, at ganun din sa ibang parte ng bahay. I guess ganito yan…
Ants don’t settle on one place (comfort zone?) to get their food, they find places where there are available sources and opportunities. Like the OFWs, they work in the countries where there jobs that give them better earnings so they can provide for their families in the Philippines. If we follow them (OFWs and migrant ants), there will no saturation point of demands, scarcity of supply, frustration, and doubts in risk-taking.
- Socialize and Connect with your fellows – Minsan tinutukso ko ang Nanay ko na parang langgam at pulitiko. Palagi kasi siyang may nakikitang kakilala at hindi lang s’ya babati ha, titigil pa talaga s’ya para makipagtsikahan. Pansinin mo ang mga langgam na pababa at paakyat, hindi lang sila magsasalubong, parang nagha-high five pa e.
Although shy type pa rin ako, nitong adult na ako I realize that greetings and socialization are not only to have fun or please people. You can also reap many benefits from these like getting good impression and improving your well-being. To greet someone is a simple gesture, but it may lead to friendship, new connections, and opportunities. When we sincerely say “hi” and “hello,” we don’t bother with the differences. What we see are our fellow co-workers, participants, neighbors, etc. Sometimes pa nga, it’s more meaningful and fantastic to be with people (possibly strangers) who have different personalities, but have the same passions like ours. Personally, I have acquaintances, connection, and friends na I met through attending workshop, seminars, training, and other events. And who knows, the one we socialize with is our next business partners or future sweethearts 😉
- Be territorial, protect your boundaries – Magkaiba ang reaction ko nung nakikita kong nilalanggam yung keyboard ko sa labas, dun sa nabuksan ko na ito. Nag-start na kasi di ko na magamit ang keys na “)”, tapos “o,” “P,” “a,” “caps lock,” at “num lock.” Pagkabukas ko, I bet hindi na lang matatapos sa mga keys na nabanggit yung problema kundi sa lahat ng vowels, consonants, at functions. Inunti-unti na nilang ubusin ang goma sa ilalim ng mga keys. Siempre ang second reaction ko ay ‘$#$% mga langgam ‘yan, squatter! Ito pa malupit, may trabaho akong tatapusin noon.
4 ants on the wall. Tig isa sila ng lesson na ibinigay charr!
This is the newest and finest lesson I got from ants, be territorial and protect your priorities/ boundaries. Ganito yan, sometimes we ignore nuisances only because they’re not harming us. It’s not that we’re being skeptical, futuristic, and negative. It’s about being direct about our stands and perspectives, and then do the necessary precautions against anyone or anything that will steal what we value most. In short, be in control. One simple example dito is browsing a social media site, while we’re working. At first, this browsing is just nothing, but later on it already stealing our concentration, time, energy, and emotion. Aminin, marami ang nag-o-overtime d’yan ng wala naman dapat talagang i-overtime.
“…you and I are responsible for our own careers, and we might want to help each other and support each other, but we can’t take on each other’s careers—or our feelings or our relationships or our money or our time,” John Townsend, Ph.D., a business consultant, psychologist, and co-author of “Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life’ shared on Success.