Sumathi Kuppusamy

Dhruv had gone to the Costco store in Seattle. Outside the store, he saw a small boy, barely five years old. In his hands were packets of chips and a small board - on it was written, "For Scout Charity Fund - one packet for $20" People were passing by him. With the innocence and confidence of a five-year-old, he was stopping one person after another: "Would you like a packet?" Some were buying. Many were smiling politely and saying, "No, thank you." But the little boy did not look disappointed. He would just smile, turn to the next person, and try again. Dhruv stopped and bought a packet from him. The boy smiled happily and said, "Thank you!" Out of curiosity, Dhruv asked him, "How many more packets do you have to sell? And how long will you stay here?" His answer is something Dhruv and perhaps all of us will remember forever. "Until 100 people say no." Dhruv was surprised. That's when the teacher standing next to him said: "It's not important how many packets he sold. What's important is that at this age, he should learn to hear 'no'... to accept it... and still have the courage to ask the next person." What a lesson that was! We spend so much time teaching our children only how to be successful. Study hard. Come first. Win the competition. Get selected. Get more. But perhaps the biggest gift we can give them is teaching them how to handle failure. How to hear 'no' without losing confidence. How to face rejection without feeling like a loser. Not being afraid to get up again after falling. Understanding that one rejection doesn't mean your worth is over. Because life will not always say 'yes'. Sometimes exams will be failed, sometimes opportunities will be missed, sometimes you will be rejected in interviews, relationships will break and dreams will take time. Success makes us happy. But learning to handle failure makes us strong. That five-year-old boy outside Costco was not just selling chips. He was practicing courage. He was collecting 'noes’. He was learning perseverance. He was getting ready for life. So instead of just asking our children, "Did you win?" Let's sometimes also ask, "Did you try again after failing?" Don't just raise a child who is prepared only for success. Raise a child who is not afraid of failure. Salute to that teacher. Salute to his parents. And salute to that little boy, who taught the big world a very big lesson: Sometimes, a hundred 'noes’ teach more than one 'yes'! #lifelesson #failure