Have you ever heard the story of the aging Chinese Emperor who was seeking the person who would be worthy to replace him?
He sent seeds to all the kids in the land. He instructed them to take the seeds and tend to their growth for one year. At the end of the year the children were to bring their plants to present to him. He would choose his successor based on their results.
One unfortunate boy could not get his plant to grow. No matter what he did, how carefully he attended to the water and light, his seed would not grow. He was so ashamed to bring an empty pot of dirt to the emperor, especially since all the other children brought beautiful flourishing plants full of blooming orchids.
After the children paraded by with their beautiful plants, the Emperor revealed that the seeds had been destroyed so that it was impossible for them to grow. He turned to the boy and praised him for being the only one brave enough to show up with his failed plant. He saw that the boy had the integrity and courage needed to become the next Emperor of the land.
Moral: We don’t always achieve the outcome we expect. But we do need to own our results. Even though all signs point to us being ashamed of our outcome, we can find the lesson, find the strength, and find the reasons for being satisfied with what happened.
Maybe it was growth that only you were supposed to experience. OWN it!
(Did you notice that the letters of OWN, rearranged are “WON?”)
What’s your most recent “pot of dirt” and what did you gain?
