Once upon a time there lived a father and he had two sons. He had put a lot of effort to raise his children. It so happened that the father owned some houses that he let out on rent, he also owned a mill. He knew that he would have to split his property amongst his kids as he was ageing. The mill was the more coveted property because it gave more money and it was also a great occupation during those days.
He was always preoccupied with this thought. Both his sons were kind boys. Both of them cared deeply for the father. Both the sons were capable individuals too. He did not want to be partial, at the same time he wanted the mill to go to the son who would run the mill well. The mill employed a lot of people and the father wanted to make sure that the mill went to the son that would ensure continued work for the mill employees.
The father had been thinking of this predicament for a while and finally he came up with an idea. He called both the sons and he said, “ Sons, you know I am old and I want to divide my property amongst the both of you. I want to give the mill to the son that can best take care of it and grow it. I will set a test for the both of you and the one who wins will get the mill,”
Both the brothers agreed to take the test. The father gave them each a small piece of land and some grain and said that the mill will go to the son that makes the maximum crop out of the land and grain given to them.”
Both the sons ploughed the land and sowed the seed and waited. Both the sons were smart,so they invested in some manure and added it to the field so that the crop will be healthy and abundant. A few days later the crop had grown health and it was almost time for the crop to be harvested.
The sons got the father to see the crops and he said he was happy with both of them. But, the father was now once again in the same predicament, because both his sons excelled. The next morning when it was time for harvest and they went to the fields, they saw that some wild boars had entered the field and wrecked havoc on the crop. It could not be harvested.
After a few days the younger son went back to the father and said, please set another test for us. We could do nothing about the boars destroying the crop. The father agreed and they both went to visit the elder son. They saw that in his field crops were growing again. Both of them were shocked.
The elder son explained, “ I saw that the crops had been ravaged by the boars, but I managed to save some seeds from the harvest. Then I re planted these seeds. I knew that the area is prone to be attacked by wild boars, so I invested some money and fenced the field and now my crops are ready for harvest.”
The father was speechless. He knew whom he would leave the mill to. Even the younger son agreed that the mill should go to his elder brother.
Moral of the story:
When facing adversity, the younger brother had given up. The elder brother did not give up, in fact he learnt from the failure and fenced the field so that the next time he wouldn’t fail. The elder brother displayed a growth mindset , instead of giving up after failing, he learnt from his failures and became better
What is growth mindset:
Growth mindset is the belief that our abilities are not fixed. We can keep learning and developing. Failures are a stepping stone to success. Failures allow us an opportunity to become better
Please see our growth mindset posters for kids. These growth mindset motivation posters are a great way to decorate the kids room
