To be a ‘Worker Ant’ or not to be one is that the question?



The university environment literally is an ‘everything’ melting pot and can cause culture shock to the faint hearted masses, me included. I’m an aspiring entrepreneur; aspiration, what a word full of hope brimming with freshness and bubbling with excitement. And yet once the nestling leaves the nest and is thrust into the exposure of the outside world, its goals tend to change direction. Its thought and planning patterns involve more variables, in actual fact the entire blueprints of what one based on their future will most probably require total remodelling. Most students I’ve come across in my faculty (Economics & Management Science) have that ‘white-picket fence’ idea of their future, be it future Charted Accountants, Economists or even Managers. This was at first quite disappointing to me. Everyone (well almost,) has this great idea that they will graduate and be handed this executive position, fancy-ass company car and health insurance, all in tow. Well in reality (so I keep being told) it’s not that simple, hell I digress it sure is simpler to follow than to lead, to fine tune your brain into receiving orders and not giving them. To stand in the crowd and be a sycophant, living life behind those tedious lines that dictate, colour here, red light: stop, orange: be cautious or some crap like that.

Once upon a time I thought that was bullshit, I was sure that I’d be paying half the buggers in my faculty’s salaries (for what it’s worth only about fifty of us will graduate). But like a yawn and as sure as German clockwork; the aspired Forbes listing dropped as I drafted my picket fence and office-plaque-on desk daydream. Not in my own building of course but in someone else’s, their dream and vision, someone bolder than I or any of my future employee classmates, a person with a good pair of ‘kahunas’ male or female doesn’t count. 

All my heroes threw caution to the wind and swam against the tide of uncertainty, ignored the probable and hoped for the unimaginable something one can aspire to do or can frown upon with detestation. It takes balls to be an entrepreneur or anyone of relevance (just ask Lady Gaga), big ones too (that and good genes, oh yes and money, money, money, capital, land, technology, brains but most importantly balls to put all of that together!).

Don’t get me wrong I respect every law abiding, obedient and hard working employee, without the worker ants there would be no colony and without employees there would be no enterprises, it’s just not the idea I have for ‘my’ life purpose. That is not the ‘me’ I want to be but if that’s the ‘you’, you want to be I’m totally okay with it dude (YOLO). Workers and leaders are in actual fact born every day, but both have to decide which they want to be ‘created’ into; where their hunger lies, to pioneer, stand out or be a part of the crowd dependant on others for direction and to play it safe. (Dependency that’s a whole different post, note to self).

The bottom line is picking one, a Bunji rope or a Leash(fetishists I can hear your perverted minds think, stop it!) I don’t know about you guys but I want to be the queen ant who lays the golden pupae and I’m hoping I’m trudging down the right tunnel while I’m at it it is myhope you are too.