Work Well To Bee Well
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
As adult human beings working is a huge part of our lives. You could be an office worker, or a fireman. Maybe you have chosen to be a rock star in a band, or help run your families pizza shop. You could have chosen to start a massage business like i did, or start a publication like The Healthy Hippie. No matter what your occupation, I think everybody can learn about communication, teamwork and hard work from one of the most organized creatures on this planet, the bee.
In 2008 when our most popular ways of communication are internet, email and telephones, I can understand why it could be hard to register all the information needed by one person in one work day. Three proven effective way bees communicate is through dance, sharing food, and touch. Bees have different dance techniques that they use to give the location, as well as directions, to the best flowers. If The Healthy Hippie came into our magazine meetings doing her tap dances, we would pay attention, understand her message, and remember it for sure! I understand that not everybody has a boss that will dance for them, but other options to enhance communication would be a lunch meeting, a walk with some co-workers, an employee trip, or a massage therapist in the work-place would all be beneficial. I feel if we as humans used more creative ways to communicate, employees would stay interested, motivated, and happy.
Humans, like bees, are social creatures. Bees understand the importance of teamwork because its essential to running a successful hive. Every bee is responsible for one of three functions. The leader or Queen Bee’s main job is to give birth to other bees, and decide the function of the bees at birth. The Drone Bees have one purpose only, to mate with the Queen Bee. The third function is of the Worker Bee. The younger Worker Bees build and maintain the hive. The older Worker Bees are in charge of pollinating, making beeswax, and honey. In our lives the most common uses for beeswax are candles, body care products, baked goods, and furniture. We all know about honey, but did you know that each worker bee produces just under a quarter of teaspoon of honey in its 4-6 week life span? You can see here why team work is so necessary. With all the challenges we face in the work place, we need to remember that we all have an important function. We all need each other, and no job is too small or more important. Like a hive, any business needs your invovlement and teamwork to operate productively.
Of all the species on this planet, most would agree that the bee is among the hardest working. Over a three year period the Queen Bee can lay up to 600,000 eggs in the hive nursery, which was built for her by the young Worker Bees. The older Worker Bees can travel up to 15 miles, pollinating over 100 flowers. They are also responsible for the pollination of 1/3 of all fruits and vegtables in America. The bee will then fly home with half their body weight in collected Nectar. Working hard is so important in life. If everybody took one step per day to do something extra for another person, one of the greatest rewards would be the cycle of giving you’d create in your business. So, start today to go above and beyond to help others. I believe if we all did our part, and carried our weight, we wouldn’t have to work so hard.
Its no understatement that bees are among the most inteligent and selfless workers. Before you swat and kill a bee please think of the colony and world around us that depends on it. If you are feeling swamped, and overwhelemed by your job, find creative fun ways to make work more enjoyable. If you are feeling under-appreciated or frustrated, realize your importance and function in the work place, and on the economy. We are all connected, and we need to work hard. Together we can make the business world function peacefully and succesfully. Bee Well
"Unique among all god’s creatures only the honey bee improves the environment and preys on no other species."
—Royden Brown
Written for The Healthy Hippie Magazine May of 2008