The Sunday Mail
Book Review
Edmore Zvinonzwa
A few weeks ago, I featured a book by Arthur Marara, “No one is Coming: Time to Take Charge of Your Life”, which was released at the same time as “Take A Lesson From the Ants: Leadership, Personal and Life Lessons for Success.”
I indicated in that piece that the renowned author, lawyer and speaker volunteers his life story with the hope that it will inspire someone out there and change their life for better.
In “Take A Lesson From the Ants: Leadership, Personal and Life Lessons for Success”, Marara again shows his usual wit in picking on one of the smallest creatures on the planet that have very important lessons to the human race, especially those who care to observe their work ethic, daily behaviour as well as outright determination to succeed.
Marara’s wish is that humans emulate ants in what they do, noting that: “Ants are everywhere. In fact, we all have encountered ants, battled them at times and maybe read or studied about them. They thrive in forests, fields, towns and cities all over the world, and even in the desert where most people dread to live . . . They live and work together in highly organised societies called colonies … The ants are organised and have structures of their own, but you rarely see them in a board meeting!” (p11)
What struck Marara about ants is not anything new and the author even acknowledges what Solomon wrote about these little creatures: “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy fellow. Learn from their ways and be wise!” (p9, quoting from Proverbs 6:7-9, TLB).
Perhaps we should also acknowledge the author’s selflessness at this point because he ensures that he shares whatever he gets through writing, something which immortalises his ideas.
There are attributes he finds striking and incredible about ants, among them team work, discipline, ability to share, high work rate, effective communication, shared vision, unusual sophistry, dedication and perseverance, strategic planning, high productivity, diligence, hardworking, self-leadership and many more that could make humans great and successful if emulated.
Ants do not just live without purpose.
They are always working and they have a reason for being busy too!
“Purpose brings focus and clarity in life. You will never thrive on anything that you do not put 100 percent on. What you focus on grows, what you neglect dies. There is nothing more powerful as a person who understands and lives their purpose on earth. Great writer Mark Twain once remarked, and aptly so, that ‘there are two important days in your life, the day you are born and the day you discover why?’” (p39)
Organisation is one attribute of ants that stands out prominently.
“Ants are well-organised in their affairs. Ants recognise that they cannot each do everything so there is division of labour . . . The ants are so well organised that they carry out their entire task through division of labour.” (p42).
Marara wishes, in the 85-page book, that humans could adopt this level of organisation in their personal as well as business lives.
He also exhorts humans to commit to finishing whatever they start.
“There is more honour in finishing the race than starting it.” (p76)
Educated at Mucheke High School in Masvingo, Marara later graduated with a Bachelor of Laws LLB (Hons) and is also a holder of a Masters in Laws (LLM) with special focus on commercial law, both from the University of Zimbabwe.
He is a phenomenal corporate and personal development speaker with the ability to command the stage with delightful humour, energy and a wealth of life experience.
He is passionate about peak performance, strategy, financial wellness, team-building, culture shift and personal development.
The attorney-cum-writer and speaker says his biggest inspiration is his mother, who took care of the family following his father’s death when he was only 13.
“My mother is my greatest inspiration. When my father died when I was 13 years of age, she could have just moved on, and started a life elsewhere. She was very young when my father passed on. When one makes such a sacrifice, she earns my respect. I am really blessed to have her in my life.”
Some of Arthur’s books, especially textbooks, are found in school stockrooms around the country following their approval and recommendation for use in learning institutions by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
