Secret To Success

Once upon a time, in a small peaceful town, there lived a family in a quiet corner of the city. In the family was a 12-year-old boy named David who was in the sixth grade. David was an active child who loved to play outside, and his favorite activity was playing soccer almost every day. David would head to the nearby public field where he honed his skills. One day after returning home from school, David collapsed on the couch, lost in thought. He opened his textbook and stared at it for a moment, then slumped down on the soft cushions with a dissatisfied look on his face. His father, who had just returned from the backyard, noticed this unusual behavior and went over to his son, who was sitting next to David. He asked him what was bothering him. David explained that he had received a poor grade in math, but that was not what was really bothering him. He shared that his best friend and neighbor, Matt, always got high marks in math, and no matter how hard David tried, he couldn’t do it well. When David’s father heard this, he went to get his son a glass of water to calm him down. Once David began to relax a bit, his father took him outside to their backyard garden, which was filled with shady trees and a peaceful environment. His father began, “I want you to understand three important lessons from what happened today. These lessons will guide you as you grow up.” David, who deeply respected his father, was a little confused but also curious. “Can you explain these lessons?” he asked. His father replied with a kind smile. After a short pause, his father continued with the first lesson: “I want you to invite Matt to play soccer with you tomorrow.” David nodded eagerly and wondered what lesson his father had in mind. The next morning, the weather was bright and sunny, and David went to school with his usual enthusiasm. That evening after school, he invited Matt to join him for a soccer match at a nearby field. As usual, David, who played soccer almost every day, dominated the game, scoring three goals to lead his team to a stunning victory. Meanwhile, Matt, who wasn’t very good at soccer, struggled. He lost the ball a lot and made several mistakes. Despite that, everyone else who played that day had a good time. After that, David cleaned up and hurried to meet his father in the backyard. “Dad, I played soccer with Matt today. What’s the first lesson you want to teach me?” His father smiled knowingly. “Tell me how the game went?” David explained everything from his three goals to how Matt wasn’t very good at soccer. His father nodded. “Look, David,” he said. “Matthew may not be good at football, but he’s brilliant at math, just like you might struggle with math, but in football, we’re all different. That’s okay. We all have our strengths and passions.” David felt a wave of understanding wash over him. He realized that people are different, not necessarily the same, but he was as curious as ever. He immediately asked his father for another lesson. “I want you to keep a close eye on Matt at school tomorrow,” his father said. “Keep an eye on how often you see him counting or working with numbers.” The next day, David went to school, excited, eager to meet his father’s challenge. He watched Matt silently, noticing how engrossed he was in his math work after school. David spent his time playing football again until his father returned home that evening. David went to his father and told him what he had seen. His father, Matt, had been doing a lot of counting that day. He had been working on math problems, solving puzzles, and even counting things like…

During recess, he changed his mind and counted flower petals. His father smiled warmly and said, “This is the second lesson, David. Matt is good at math because he enjoys it and practices it a lot. If you want to get better at something, you have to keep practicing, just like you do with football. It’s not always difficult. You can start with something simple like counting flower petals.” David smiled, realizing that as long as he kept practicing, just like with football, he could get better at anything without waiting. David eagerly asked about the third and final lesson. His father thought for a moment and said, “In the last lesson, I want you to consider how much better Matt is than you at math.” David paused for a second, then hesitantly replied, “I think Matt is three times better at math than I am.” “Okay,” his father said, “I want you to study three times as much math tomorrow.” David swallowed nervously but nodded, determined to face the final challenge the next day after school.

David sat down to study math, and after an hour of intense concentration, he decided to continue for another two hours, doubling his usual effort. But before he could finish, his head started pounding, and he fell asleep without realizing it. He was gently awakened by his father's gentle tap. "Get up for dinner and meet me in the park afterward," his father said, feeling disappointed in himself. David met his father, his head bowed. "I'm sorry, Dad," David said. "I couldn't finish the challenge. I studied so hard that my head started to hurt, and I fell asleep." His father gently patted David on the head and said, “David, this is what happens when you try to master something you don’t enjoy. It’s hard to be disciplined and consistent. But when you study something you love, you find discipline and consistency come easily, just like when you stay committed to playing football.” After a moment of silence, his father gave him one last piece of advice: “So if you want to be smart and become an expert at something, either study something you love or learn to love what you study.” David admired his father’s wisdom and promised to carry these three important lessons with him for the rest of his life.