2020 has gone on too long.

I feel like I’ve burned up 12 months of angst, anger and energy in only 6 months. It is tough – and I’m not nearly as affected as many. I can’t imagine the effort it takes for some to get up each day and make things happen.

But we must.

Regardless of our circumstances, doing nothing isn’t the answer.

As I was working through my to-do list the other day, I noticed quite a few of my list items weren’t my “normal” activities. During this abnormal year, I’ve started adding things I didn’t have time for Before COVID (BC) or didn’t consider mission critical in the past. I felt like I was in one sense creating busy work and yet in another, protecting myself for when the world starts to reopen.

I was an ant.

More to the Fable Than I Thought

We’re all familiar with the Ant and the Grasshopper fable from master story-teller Aesop. But little did I know there is actually a fairly interesting backstory to the fable. Written by a former Greek slave in the mid-century BCE. Aesop had 725 fables designed to teach moral lessons.

The Ant and the Grasshopper was designed to teach the merits of hard work and planning. The Grasshopper spent the summer singing while the ants stored up food preparing for the winter. When winter arrives, the grasshopper is starving, and the ants refuse to share their food.

Ants don’t play.

So much of this resonates today.

Do things today you don’t need to do today. Train, study, practice, connect, chat, share. Do things that will prepare you for the future. Are you doing that with your marketing? Are you doing that with your sales force or channel partners?

Are you helping them study, train, practice, etc.? Is your ongoing loyalty program leveraging these tasks and behaviors to level up your channel and be a partner in their success?

If not – get on it.

Be the Ant.

For your listening pleasure: Dave Matthews – Ants Marching (email subscribers probably need to click through to see/hear video.)