7 Remarkable Things You Should Learn From Animals

I once saw a beautiful video of an elephant birthing her young. She had been in labour for hours and was trumpeting in pains. A sack-like substance came out slowly from her like a balloon filled with air. Blood and water gushed out alongside as the 118Kg calf landed on the floor with a splash. She then kicked it with her hind leg, pulled the lifeless calf with her trunk and kicked it again. She nudged its trunk tightly until it was able to breathe for the first time using its mouth.

As I stayed glued in amazement with my mouth wide opened. “Wow! How come she knew exactly what to do?” I asked myself. No need of a midwife, or a nurse, just an automated instinct of successful childbirth.

Wait! what if… what if there are thousands of other animal species possessing a thousand successful ways of doing things?  So I went searching and here is a collection these remarkable things you should learn from.

Wolves do Teamwork

Can you remember The Disney animation “Beauty and the Beast“? Flashback a little. Did you notice that the wolves didn’t attack the beast alone?

That is because…

Wolves live and hunt in packs. They really don’t have speed (max 60mph), they are not strong like lions or buffalos. But have a very strong weapon: “Teamwork”.

Wolves have tactics. Speedy, lightly built females often take on herding roles, darting back and forth in front of the prey, causing confusion and preventing escape. Slower but more powerful males are able to take down a large animal more aggressively and quickly.

If you are sure to have success in anything big in life, get a team. It will take me an entire article to explain how to do this but listen to what Leadership expert and Pastor John C Maxwell Once said to me (through a book). “Teamwork makes any dream work”.

If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far, get a team. Never hunt alone.

Ants are Diligent

Lol, they have the smallest brains in the world. It would take a microscope to see one. They are the frailest animals. You probably just killed one. Yet ants dominate the earth. There are about one million ants to every human in the world. Guess what? They have survived the dinosaur’s centuries. Even when some human species were wiped out by war and environmental hardship. Ants have been around like forever!

How is this possible? What makes ants so successful in existing? I found the answer. It’s because Ants are diligent and with diligence, there is no situation you can’t master.

They don’t have supervisors or mentors yet they follow accurately the principle of the season (seed-time-harvest). If you are diligent, there is really nothing too difficult for you to handle.

With diligence, you can acquire new skills quickly, adapt to any change, and succeed at any craft. Borrow this wisdom from ants. They have billions of years for survival to prove that it works.

Eagles see Far

 

In my searches, I found out that Eagles’ eyes have a million light-sensitive cells per square mm of the retina, five times more than a human’s 200,000. While people see just three primary colours, eagles see five. These adaptations give Eagles extremely keen eyesight and enable them to spot even well-camouflaged potential prey from a very long distance.

The Lesson?

Eagles have lots of inside light (or “in-sight” as you might call it). And this gives them foresight (seeing far). That is, They can see far ahead of their present position or situations. Imagine you have this “supernatural” ability to see ahead. You will easily avoid costly mistakes, leap ahead of your mates, administer calculated risks, ensure you make great kills (like going viral) and the best part, invent your own future!

It’s so easy! Just gather enough insights. Either by experiences, books or mentorship. Just keep learning.  Acquiring light cells of knowledge will make you see far, like the Eagles.

Lions are Bold

Doesn’t the word “bold” comes to your mind when you hear L-i-o-n? Yeah! the great book of Proverbs 30 Says “There are three things that walk with stately stride-no, four that strut about; the Lion, King of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything”. To be bold as a Lion.

I really don’t know why lions are bold and audacious . Have you thought of it?

Well, my conclusion is that: Boldness is an attitude every lion possesses.

Why did I say that?

Monkeys should rule the wild if it were for intelligence. Elephants should be boss if we consider weight. Giraffes for heights and for ugliness, it should be Crocs!

Can I ask you an obvious question?

Why do we tend to fear so much? This phobia, that phobia!. Some are very unreasonable like “agoraphobia“ (fear of all the people passing by).

You might fear failure or being criticized.  Whatever it is, you can’t afford to allow your fears stop you! You need to be bold. Like Lions who are so concerned about the kill that they become blind to obstacles. They are so conscious of their mane and fangs, their identity. They believe they are Kings! And nothing shakes that.  So, what do you call yourself?

Robert Kiyosaki said, “In the real world it’s not the smart that get ahead but the bold”. So FSP is saying: “Forget all reasons it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will”. That how to be bold.

Horses are Tameable

Horses are used in racing, farming, transportation, movies, battles, religion, royalty, military, crowd control, milk production, meat (yeah buggers). What characteristics of Horses makes them so valuable?

You guessed right. “Horses are tameable”.

Let me expand a little more.

What does that word “tameable” mean to you?  Maybe, humility, flexibility, being teachable, open to learning and adopting new ways of doing things etc.

Being tameable makes you useful in so many regards. So valuable that your boss, family or spouse can’t do without you.

Here is a little secret from me to you (please don’t share). Did you know that the most valuable companies in the world (Apple, Google Facebook, and co) are always eager to acquire small and innovative companies? Like Google bought Android & YouTube. Facebook bought Instagram and Whatsapp etc. They are always ready to accommodate new things. They are not rigid to just their original innovation. And that’s what keeps them in business. Be tameable.

Caterpillars are Patient

Butterflies are beautiful. Remember, even their name starts with a “B” (smiles). How come  they are ugly and chunky at first? It’s Simple. The insight from their transformation story will help us understand how to end up with beautiful results e-v-e-r-y-t-i-m-e!

They go through 5 stages:

Stage one: In order to come into form, a caterpillar undergoes a metamorphosis where each stage is entirely dependent on the other. That is, you cannot get to beauty in a hurry. Like climbing a ladder. Every stage is important.

Stage two: The caterpillar’s job at this stage is to eat and eat and eat. That’s all. When you get to this point, keep feeding on great stuff they are fuel for transformation.

Stage three: As the caterpillar grows, it “splits its skin” and sheds its skin 4 or 5 times. This indicates that shedding of old patterns and habits is necessary.

Stage four: Depending on the species, the caterpillar may suspend itself under a branch, hide in the leaves or bury itself underground. Solitude provides space and time for internalisation and ripening.

Stage five: The “butterfly” (notice the change of name) now flies out of the cocoon. This is where you fly showing your colours of beauty.

So how do you become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.

Elephants are Passionate 

I would like us to refer to the beautiful introductory story of the passionate mother elephant. This is the question I kept asking:

Who told her what to do?

I am sure she didn’t do prenuptial counseling or earn a doctorate. She is just an animal who felt an urge to give life and went all out for it. You don’t need all the degree to know what you are passionate about, do you?

Why do we always think people should tell us things? Why are we not bold enough to carry out our passion? How much have we lost while waiting for better circumstances? . There are times we must confirm but imagine the elephant was waiting…

Don’t get me wrong . I am not saying just make any decisions because you feel like it. Rather have confidence in yourself. The greatest you can ever become has already been deposited in your bowels by God. Just unlock it.

Okay FSP How? Answer: Go and get things done.

You are already Beautiful , Exquisite, Brilliant, Cute and Talented. In your veins flows royal blood cells. It is not a flatter. Start believing these things about yourself and you would become it.

You can make that difference you were created for. See you at the top! Cheers!

Image credit: Googleimages

 

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Which animal insight got you the most?