Aspire to be More Like the Honey Badger
A honey badger looks like cute blend of otter and beaver, but looks can be deceiving. The honey badger is considered to be one of the most fearless, intelligent and tenacious predators on the planet. In fact, this animal has been introduced to participants in motivational talks and leadership meetings as one that we should imitate as we try and succeed in this badger-eat-badger world. This is where the honey badger becomes relevant to us, and we can learn a lot from this little resourceful animal.
Designed for Defense
Any predator can find their niche in order to stalk and catch prey with maximum efficiency. However, many predators also have plenty of vulnerabilities as well. The honey badger is an exception, and it seems built to be able to fend off an attack from a wide-range of predators. They have very thick, rubbery skin that is also loose. This makes it difficult to be punctured, torn, and the extra leeway allows the honey badger to maneuver into a more advantageous position during an attack.
It is also outfitted with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, powerful jaws and an incredible set of claws. Consequently, even if an animal did decide to tussle with a honey badger, chances are it will think twice about trying again in the future.
How many layers of defense do you have, and what skills do you possess that can give you the most amount of options during an attack or altercation? The more you have to choose from, the greater the chances of gaining the upper-hand.
Adaptive
Another skill that the honey badger has down is their ability to adapt. They are excellent swimmers, but the aren’t bad climbers either. They are agile, and their slender, long bodies allow them to slink in, out and around all kinds of nooks and crannies. They use these skills while stalking prey as well as ways to escape from a predator when being attacked. Being adaptive gives them more options and resources, and we can experience the same benefits if we follow suit.
Fearless and Tenacious
Probably the most talked about aspect of the honey badger is its fearlessness. They can be eating a bee, get stung and keep eating. They can be scratched and bitten by prey as it fights for its life but they won’t stop. In other words, they keep going, no matter what obstacles or challenges they face until they either get what they want or figure it’s not worth the effort or risk.
Most animals will avoid prey that poses a physical threat, partly from experience and partly because they instinctively know they’ll get hurt if they try. On the other hand, the honey badger can care less, and it shows. They somehow know how to turn off the fear instinct and focus on the goal. Now, it’s easy to question whether or not this is a good example to follow in the human world, but fear is something that we will need to contend with in a survival situation.
The issue is how do we deal with that fear. There is good fear, like the fear that keeps us from making poor choices or taking unnecessary risks. Then there’s bad fear that is little more than tricks that our minds play on us for a variety of reasons. The trick is to learn the difference, and to grow in fearlessness when it’s beneficial and beat back the fear when it is an impediment.
Patience
The last quality, and there are still many more worth learning about, is that honey badgers are patient stalkers. They know how to lie in wait, watch their prey and learn exactly when and where to strike. They also learn from their experiences and put them to use in future hunting. Patience is something that all of us can benefit from mastering, and there’s always room for improvement. Patience allows us to get what we want without wasting time, energy while making fewer mistakes along the way. It involves calculation, assessing different possibilities and not getting discouraged when things don’t work out. The honey badger rarely gives up on his target or goal until it gets what it wants, and neither should we.
Take some time to learn more about the honey badger. Chances are that these little predators can teach us a thing or two that can improve our success in the midst of a crisis.
