5 Personal Finance Lessons We Can Learn From Ants

My son recently received an ant farm for his fourth birthday. And though he seemed slightly intrigued by the whole scenario of putting ants into a box in an effort to watch them go about their daily duties, it didn't hold nearly the attraction or intrigue for him as it did for dear old dad.

I found myself more than my son taking a vested interest in the lives of those little powerhouses, and soon enjoyed not only feeding, watching and caring for them, but learning from them as well.

Here are a few of the things I picked up from those tiny fellows, and how those lessons can be applied or molded to fit our personal financial lives.

Work First, Play...Never?

I know that a bug's capacity for play is limited, and I knew going in that ants had a heck of a work ethic, but these little guys' were ridiculous...they never stopped working except to sleep. I mean, I'm all for work getting your work out of the way first, but these ants took it to a whole new level. They'd just work, work, work, and then the next morning I'd wake up and find one or two had just keeled over and given up the ghost in the middle of the night; their friends in the process of dismantling their crumpled little bodies and carting them off.

This made me realize that for as much as the human race could be compared to a giant colony of ants, scurrying back and forth, building our homes, doing our work, gathering food, and reproducing, we at least have the capacity to enjoy ourselves at times. And that while work is important, we must take time to try to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Otherwise, what's the point?

Diversification

Ants are interesting little creatures. They don't need to have big brains, computers and financial analysts to tell them to diversify; it's instinctual with them.

They don't just build one tunnel entrance, because what if some silly human steps on it or an invading army attacks there? No, they build multiple entrances, tunnels and escape routes in case of emergency.

And do they stockpile their food all in one chamber? No, because what if that chamber were to flood or collapse? Therefore, they split their resources between a number of areas to protect against disaster.

How is it that ants can know this, but so many humans -- with our abilities to think, understand and reason -- have yet to learn it?

Stockpiling

Ants, like squirrels might take stockpiling food and supplies to the extreme. This doesn't however mean that we can't learn something from their example.

Being prepared for emergency situations by having an ample supply of food, water, medicine, and other necessary supplies can help keep us ready for a number of emergencies and reduce the chance of having to venture out into unsafe conditions to resupply. Not only this, but even in the event of a non-emergency situation such as a job loss or work reduction, having extra food in the cabinets can act as a sort of ready reserve to serve in place of having to spend cash you don't have at the grocery store.

Cleanliness is Next to Antliness

I never realized at how hard ants work at remaining clean. They take time to clean themselves, clean one another, and keep their living quarters nice and tidy.

Hopefully I don't have to get into the subject of personal hygiene here, but I do think ants can provide a valuable lesson to us humans when it comes to the part about their living quarters. They spend much of their time, moving, sorting, removing debris and waste, and generally staying organized and clutter free. This appears to help them remain efficient and in turn enhance their work capabilities and pinpoints the fact that clutter and disorganization in humans' lives often act to slow us down.

Working as a Team

It is incredible just how much teamwork can take place with creatures that don't speak to one another. Yet, it may be equally incredible just how little communication can take place between creatures that do.

While each ant in the colony seems to know his role, we as humans often find ourselves not knowing exactly how to help ourselves or each other in families of much smaller proportions. Just as communication (by way of touch and feel to ants) is critical for each ant to understand his job and role within the colony or 'family' if you will, it is similarly important inside human families for us to understand our roles by talking to and listening to one another and determining just how we can each contribute best to the family finances and pull our weight accordingly.

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Disclaimer:

The author is not a licensed financial professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For financial advice, readers should consult a licensed financial advisor. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.