Harnessing the Wisdom of Wildlife for Personal Success

Have you ever noticed that different animals, different insects, different bugs and basically nature has a lot of really curious things going on? Well, today we're going to take a look at three different creatures, two animals and one insect that I believe we can learn a lot if we'll simply pay attention.

Welcome to becoming wiser with Dr. Robert A. Rome, author and world renowned public speaker as he shares stories and involving his experiences and lessons learned in a good spirited, positive and fun way. Here's Dr. Robert A. Rome.

So today I want to talk to you about three different animals, three different kinds of animals. One's an insect and two is an animal. Two are animals that will help us to understand a little bit about how the real world works. The first one is the bumblebee. Now, I don't know where you live, but I live in metro Atlanta, Georgia and we have a lot of bumblebees. Bumblebees are these big, large.

Almost round or oval bees that look like they are very, very heavy and yet they dart around and fly at incredible amounts of speed that seem to make them look like they are basically weightless. Well, a bumblebee, scientifically you can look this stuff up. There've been many stories told about the bumblebee, but the bumblebee's body is so big and yet its wings are so short that from an aerodynamic perspective, it's a big word for like an airplane. It, its body actually can't fly. Yep, you heard me right. The bumblebee, scientifically and aerodynamically in the way it's designed, is not able to fly. Its short wings and its little heavy round or oval shaped body just does not work right. Except for one thing. And here's the punchline. Are you ready? The bumblebee doesn't know anything about this.

So you know what the Bumblebee does? The Mr. Or Ms. Bumblebee wakes up every morning, just goes on about their business, doing things, even though it may be impossible. Now that's our first creature we want to look at. That's our first insect. I'm saying this, I know I'm being a little light hearted and having a little fun with you today, but are there ever situations in your life that you just think this is impossible, can't do it, won't work, it's just not going to happen. Many, many times I have faced those in my years of life. And do you know what encourages me? The bumblebee. I think about the fact that the bumblebee just keeps on going, keeps on trying to, keeps on developing its ability I read where they took bumblebees into outer space. Now this is a great illustration. They took bumblebees in a cage, in a small container into outer space because they wanted to see what would happen when they were weightless. Because the bumblebee is such an unusual creature. It's its round body, it's big, round, oval shaped body and its little short wings. So they took a whole container into outer space with bumblebees. So when they got there, of course, you know, they had this in an experiment so they could contain it and take good notes. That once it was in outer space, the astronauts in a controlled environment, something a little bit bigger maybe than a. We would think of like a.

Fish bowl or a aquarium kind of environment, they let all the bumblebees out. And the bumblebees immediately noticed there was no effort. They could just float, they could just float. Can you imagine being a bumblebee that works real hard all day, every day to fly, and then all of a sudden you find out, I don't even have to do this. I did. I just can float around. The bumblebees loved it. They observed the, those who were taking notes observed. They watch what they did. They, they, they still would move their wings, but they were weightless and they still could fly. And they could kind of turn and maneuver and go forward and back. And it was a whole different experience for the bumblebee because they'd never experienced anything like that. They took notes on them the first day and then they took notes on them the second day. They were watching them. It seemed like the bumblebees were really enjoying it. In the third day, they were floating around still in their controlled environment, like a aquarium. Like I said that it was all those in outer, outer space. So it was weightless. And then, and then the fourth day, they were continuing the. They opened up everything to, to look and all the bumblebees were dead.

On the fourth day, they all died.

The astronauts could hardly believe it. They looked to see what, what happened was there not. Was there not oxygen? Was there not. Was there not some kind of environment that they could breathe or fly or. And they studied it and they realized the bumblebee was designed to live with a lot of challenges. The bumblebee was designed to live with the hard work of continuing to try and overcome difficult circumstances. That's the first creature we want to look at, that's the first animal, that's the first insect that we're going to look at today is the bumblebee. The Second one. The second one is the zebra. Now, I don't know how much you know about zebras. I've been to Africa. Over there, they call them zebra. But we say zebra here. And the Z sound in different continents is pronounced a little bit differently. But when mama zebra gives birth to her baby, it's one of the strangest things you'll ever see. Because after the baby is born and the baby is kind of gathering its thoughts together, you might say it's on the ground and, and, and kind of learning that it's alive and mother is cleaning it up, that mama zebra will get right in front of that baby because the baby's trying to stand up and the baby's spindly, weak legs are a little wobbly. But mother zebra gets right in front of the baby in whichever way that baby turns, mama zebra is right in front of him. And scientists for years looked at that and thought, what is going on? I don't know if you've ever heard of this or not, but there's an R A S that we all possess that stands for reticular activating system. A reticular activating system is when you're looking for something. For example, if I said, where are your car keys? Your mind would begin to go to keys. Okay, keys. What do keys look like? Where did I see the keys last? What do the keys? Are they on a key ring? Are they by themselves? Is it a keyless key?

My mind starts looking for it, and then the next thing you know, I find it. That's because I was looking for it. If I were to say, find a blue shirt, in a matter of seconds, your mind would go through every category of color, every piece of clothing, and start looking for a blue shirt. And in seconds, your RAs, your reticular activating system, would kick in and you'd be able to find a blue shirt. This is a great gift that our creator has put inside of us to help us to find things that we're looking for. Mama zebra is training and teaching its baby its striped pattern. Are you aware that every zebra's stripes are different? And mama zebra wants that baby zebra to know, I'm your mom. So I'm going to stay in front of you for about five minutes while your reticular activating system kicks in. And you will be able to always identify and know my pattern. I'm your mom. Boy, I love that story. You know why? Who are you looking at in life to try to follow or emulate? I have three or four mentors. I look at Them, I look at the way they do their marriage or their business or their finances or the way they speak to people. I've been around, I've been so blessed to be around some wonderful people. You know what? The people I follow, they're not jerks. They're not smart alecks. They're wonderful people who love others and care and try to have a better life. I want to be that way. I want to be the kind of person that knows how to be loving and kind and helpful. I don't want to be a gossip. I don't want to talk badly about people behind their backs. I want to know how to handle money correctly. I want to be a good person making a difference in this world. I have to know some people I can follow. I'm like baby zebra looking at some of these people, thinking I'd like to be like them. I've had some wonderful mentors in my life. Some of the best men I have ever met have helped me to grow and become a better person. Do you have some mentors? Find a couple of people that you say, I want to be like them. Now, let me give you a word of warning. After you get to know some people, you're disappointed and you find out they're not what you thought they would be. That's. I've had that happen. Guess what? Just move on. There are others. Be like baby zebra and find the one that you want to be like, the one that can help you. And then our third creature that we're going to look at today is actually the one I saved the best for last. It's the giraffe. Are you aware that the giraffe is the only animal that gives birth standing up?

I know if you're a mom or a lady listening to this and you've ever had a baby, you thought, boy, I didn't want to be standing up when I did that. I've seen all four of my daughters born and it looks like a difficult experience. Well, mama giraffe knows when the time comes. So what she does is she braces herself because she knows that the water is breaking and baby giraffe is about to enter the world. But are you ready for this? When baby giraffe enters the world, it's about a six to eight foot fall.

Boom. How would you like to come into the world by being dropped 6 to 8ft and landing and splatting on the ground? Well, that's what giraffes do. Giraffes give birth standing up and the baby falls to the ground. If you think that's bad, keep listening. It gets a lot worse. So now that the baby giraffe is on the ground and it has these long, spindly legs, it can't stand up. It's trying to get its balance. It's trying to get a grip on how to stand up.

But mama giraffe knows something that's very dangerous. She knows the smell of blood from the birth is in the air. She knows that lions and tigers and other animals that are sensitive to smell can detect when something like this has taken place. And the animals will be on the move quickly in order that they can find some dinner. I've been to Africa. I have been on safaris. I have been in hot air balloons overlooking incredible creatures. But the giraffe, with its long neck and its long arms, but it gives birth standing up. And baby giraffe, bam. Hits the ground. Now, here's what mother giraffe, if. If it was not already shocking enough that she gave birth standing up. And baby giraffe has fallen 6 to 8ft and splattered on the ground and is trying to stand up. Mother giraffe gives it about two or three minutes, and then in her loving way, she walks up and kicks it. Yes, you heard me right. She kicks her baby. And then she kicks it again because she's trying to get that baby. Come on, come on, get on your feet. Let's go. We need to move. Come on. She'll nudge it. She'll push it. She's doing all of this because she loves her baby and does not want her baby to be lion or tiger dinner later tonight. So she'll kick it and push it. It's a remarkable thing. Scientists who have watched this thought, this looks very harsh, but the reality is mother giraffe loves her baby. And she very quickly teaches it how to stand up while I'm licking you off and cleaning you up. And now you're on your feet. I know you can't walk real quickly and I know you can't run at all. Follow me. Let's leave. We're getting in the woods. We're getting in the bushes. We're getting in the country where we will not be eaten by ferocious animals. It doesn't seem to be a loving nice thing to do, but it is, because the mother knows I need to raise this giraffe to be healthy and whole and strong so it can stand on its own four feet. Now, we've taken a look at three creatures today. I hope you will be like a bumblebee I hope you will think. You know, this may be impossible, but I gotta keep trying. And if I want to get to a place where I have nothing to do, I'm just gonna lay all day and be lazy and sorry, the bumblebee knows that's when I die. I can't do that. I've designed. I've got to work. I've got to keep going. I've got to let these wings of mine flap really, really fast. To carry this heavy body, I have to work. I have to overcome obstacles if I want to live and achieve victory. Thank you for a bumblebee. Thank you to the zebra for teaching us. Keep your focus. Stay your mind and your eyes. What are you looking for? Stay in, in touch with it. Look at it. Find someone that you want to be like that. You can follow that, you can emulate that. Your RAS reticular activating system can kick in and go, that's what I want in life. That's who I want to be like. That's the kind of person I want to be. And finally, thank you. Thank you to the giraffe who teaches us. This may be hard and other people may not understand, but I'm trying to have a great life. I'm trying to push myself forward. And even though other people. I'm not comparing myself to other people, but other people can do whatever they want to. I want to be a high achiever. And that will require me to go the second mile, push myself, maybe even kick myself in order that I could become better, try harder, and achieve great things in life. I hope the next time you see a bumblebee or a zebra or a giraffe, you'll smile and think, who would have ever thought that creatures like that could give me guidance in life, how to become the person I want to be? I'm Dr. Robert Rohm. I hope this has been helpful. I look forward to our next time together on another podcast real soon. Thank you so much.

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