If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a goal that seems unachievable or an obstacle that seems unconquerable, I hope you’ll consider these summertime heroes, the challenges they manage to overcome, and the life lessons they teach us.
Life Lesson # 1 – Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dream! Human engineers say it is impossible for bumblebees to fly. They claim that the bumblebee body is too big and heavy and the wings too light to lift them off the ground and sustain them in flight. But bumblebees can’t read, so they continued to fly! Be a bumblebee and hold fast to your dream, not matter what the so called experts tells you.
Life Lesson #2 – A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! This is a well stated adage by Confucius, but it should be the mantra of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They normally spend the winter in Central America. From March through May they migrate north, some through the eastern two thirds of Texas, some through Cuba and Florida, and some fly directly across the Gulf of Mexico. Hummingbird.net states that many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds travel nonstop for 18-22 hours in order to migrate. Imagine weighing anywhere from 2 to 20 grams and completing a nonstop journey over 600 miles! I don’t know about you, but I find these facts both mind-boggling and motivating. Better yet, my own flimsy excuses for not pursuing a goal tend to pale in comparison, and I use the image of that small bird on its migration to get myself moving on my own journey to success.
Life Lesson #3 – You can overcome dismal surroundings, if you are willing to change! At one time or another you may have admired the giant Swallowtail butterfly, known as Heraclides cresphontes or Papilio cresphontes. You might not be aware that as it emerges from its dark and confining chrysalis it must hang vertically to allow its wings to expand and dry. The process can take a few hours, which may not seem like much to us. But consider the plight of the butterfly, hoping its’ wings dry before a predator finds it and wondering if (or when) it will be able to fly off. Like the butterfly, we sometimes find ourselves in the throes of a precarious change. It can be comforting to know that if we just hang in there, we can emerge in a better state than we could have ever imagined.
I hope these simple lessons from the smallest of creatures will help guide you to the success you dream about!
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