His Failure... Was His Success

We all know that telling the truth, taking

responsibility, doing the right thing, appreciating others, keeping commitments & being integrity driven is… the road to success… but sometimes in the short run, we can feel like the loser.

Recently I came across a story that affirms & rewards those for doing things right! This is a story of a young man named Ping, and of a King who was childless & needed to find a successor.

The King devised a way to find a successor who would be courageous and honest. He sent out a tiny seed to each young man in the country. This seed was to be planted and nourished to the best of each young man’s ability.

When Ping received his seed he obtained a beautiful pot, fertile soil and planted the seed. He watered it and nurtured it and watched it, but nothing happened. He moved his plant to another area with more sun, thinking it needed different light, & still, nothing happened. He asked his father what to do. His father suggested putting it into

another container and continuing to nurture it. Still nothing!

The day finally arrived for all the young men to present their results to the King. Everyone else had beautiful plants and Ping was so

embarrassed that he sat in the back of the room with his pot so he wouldn’t be noticed.

The King walked around the room looking at the plants and frowning. The longer he walked, the more he frowned. Then he came to the back of the room and saw Ping and his pot. He led Ping up to his throne and announced to all present, that Ping would be the next King. “How can this be?” all the young men cried.

The King said, “Before I sent you the seeds, I ordered the seeds boiled so they wouldn’t grow. Only one man in my kingdom was courageous and honest today and only that man deserves to be your next King.”