The Ant and the Elephant Summary

Emir Zecovic | Posted on March 9, 2018 |

3 min read ⌚

Leadership for the Self

Your daily behaviors and thoughts are mainly a product of your subconscious. To change your life for the better it is crucial to learn how to become the master of your mind.

About Vince Poscente

Vince Poscente is an author, a speaker, and a former ski racer.

“The Ant and the Elephant Summary”

“The Ant and the Elephant” is a story about the ant Adir and the elephant Elgo, that live in a time of drought, and water and food shortages.

Adir is blown away far from his ant colony by a strong wind, and while in despair, he hears about a heavenly oasis. However, he does not know where this oasis might be.

Elgo, on the other hand, knows about the oasis as well, but he just dreams about getting there, never doing anything about it, stuck in his old patterns of functioning.

Adir and Elgo represent your mind: the and is the conscious part, while the elephant the subconscious one.

Elgo is big, compared to the ant, and so is your subconscious.

However, by the end of the story, despite how little it is, Adir becomes Elgo’s leader and takes him to the oasis.

Similarly, your conscious mind can work for you, and control your subconscious thoughts and feelings that arise from them, that sometimes create many blockages on the path toward your dreams.

Of course, to do this, you need to be patient and armed with strong discipline. But although the process is hard and long, it pays off in the end, since only through mastery of your mind you can understand yourself and make all your dreams come true.

The road to mastery and a better life is paved with five stepping stones.

“Clarify your vision.”

Understand yourself and your fears, and do not let them blind you. Comprehend your goals as well, and why they are so significant to you.

Stay always ready for new opportunities.

“Commit to cultivating positive dominant thoughts.”

Arm yourself with patience, because it might take longer than you expected to see your goals materialize finally.

Understand that although you may not see the small changes every day, if you stick to your quest and stop seeking for immediate results (and getting disappointed when you do not see them), you will make progress in the long run.

“Consistently focus on performance.”

Remind yourself of your purpose and your goal so that you can keep your eyes on the prize.

“Strengthen confidence.”

Do not get into a trap built of negativity. Learn to watch your thoughts and to stop the negative ones before they become too loud and undermine your confidence. Every time you think a negative thought, replace it with its positive counterpart.

“Control the response to any situation.”

You will face obstacles on the way, so you might as well prepare your reaction to all the unwanted scenarios. Feeling prepared will boost your confidence.

Key Lessons from “The Ant and the Elephant”

1. The Ant and the Elephant
2. A Hard and Long Journey
3. The Five Steps to a Better Life

The Ant and the Elephant

Adir and Elgo represent your mind: the and is the conscious part, while the elephant the subconscious one. Their story shows you how your conscious mind can control your subconscious, that sometimes creates many blockages on the path toward your dreams.

A Hard and Long Journey

Mastery takes practice and discipline. But even though the process is hard, only mastery can allow you to understand yourself and make all your dreams come true.