I know the analogy of ants has been done to death. The story of ants and how determined they are to reach their goal even though they are so weak and primitive in comparison to us. Despite how small in size and insignificant they are, they achieve their goals in the end (well, mostly if not for nature and human intervention).

Back in NS, I was a smoker, and one of the things we used to do out of boredom was to exhale smoke onto ants which were crawling up the wall. We quickly realized that cigarette smoke stuns and disorientates ants, making them lose nearly all sense of direction and balance, and some of them even fell off the wall and onto the ground. But another thing we noticed is that they would still climb up the wall, attempting to get to their final destination, even though they were disorientated.

Somehow, I feel that this sort of resolve is applicable to us, as humans. In life, and especially more so in fast-paced Singapore, we have many things that we wish to achieve. For some, it might be really ambitious, such as climbing the corporate ladder, owning a car, owning a house – the list goes on. For some, the goal might be much smaller, such as finishing an assignment or even studying (we’ve all been through that, haven’t we)?

As we strive to meet those goals, there will inevitably come times where life pushes us down. People betray us, things just don’t work out the way they should. But like the ants, even though we’re disoriented and bamboozled by how life “smokes” us, we need to maintain our focus on the ultimate goal, and have the determination to push on and get there. Eventually, we will succeed.

So, this 2016, as we Singaporeans set out on achieving our goals, let us ensure that we always stay focused on the task at hand, and maintain a strong sense of direction in where we are going. There will be setbacks, life isn’t always smooth-going, but eventually, if we keep pressing on, we will make it.

Jiayou, guys. Let’s make SG51 (ahem) a wonderful year, filled with blessings and accomplishments. Let us learn to be like the ants, pushing on towards our goal despite all the setbacks that can and will happen in our life. Have faith in ourselves, for if we put our heart to anything, we will definitely succeed in the end!