Maya was starting a new school year. On the first day, her teacher handed everyone a clean, empty notebook. “This,” the teacher said, “is your story for the year. Fill it with effort, courage, and kindness.”
Maya stared at the blank pages. She felt nervous — what if she made mistakes? What if her pages weren’t as good as others’? So for the first few weeks, she wrote very little, afraid to ruin it.
One day, Maya’s teacher noticed and said, “A perfect notebook isn’t one that’s clean. It’s one that’s used well.” That night, Maya thought about it deeply. She decided to stop worrying about mistakes and start trying.
From then on, she filled her notebook with drawings, notes, and ideas — some messy, some wonderful. She answered questions in class, helped her friends, and even started a small kindness club at school.
At the end of the year, her notebook was full — not perfect, but beautiful. Her teacher smiled and said, “You’ve written a story of courage.”
Maya realised that life is just like that notebook — it’s not about avoiding mistakes, but about filling each page with effort and heart.
Moral: Don’t be afraid of mistakes; they’re proof that you’re trying and growing.
