The Story of The Seed That Never Grew...

A successful businesswoman was growing old, and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business…

Instead of choosing one of her directors or her children, she decided to do something different. She called all the young executives in her company together.

She said, "It’s time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.  I have decided to choose one of you.. "

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued.

"I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED... I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One woman, named Jane, was there that day and she, like the others, received a seed. She went home and excitedly, told her husband the story. He helped her get a pot, soil and compost and she planted the seed. Everyday, she would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jane kept checking her seed, but nothing ever grew.  Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jane didn't have a plant and she felt like a failure.  Six months went by -- still nothing in Jane's pot. She just knew she had killed her seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but she had nothing. Jane didn't say anything to her colleagues, however.  She just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - She so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.  Jane told her husband that she wasn't going to take an empty pot.  But he asked her to be honest about what happened.

Jane felt sick to her stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of her life, but she knew her husband was right. She took her empty pot to the boardroom. When Jane arrived, she was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes.

Jane put her empty pot on the floor and many of her colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for her!

When the CEO arrived, she surveyed the room and greeted her young executives. 
Jane just tried to hide in the back.

"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jane at the back of the room with her empty pot. She ordered the Financial Director to bring her to the front. Jane was terrified. She thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe she will have me fired!"

When Jane got to the front, the CEO asked her what had happened to her seed - Jane told her the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jane. She looked at Jane, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! 

Her name is Jane!"

Jane couldn't believe it.

Jane couldn't even grow
her seed.

"How could she be the new CEO?" the others said.


The CEO replied: "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jane, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jane was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, she is the one who will be the new
Chief Executive Officer!"

The moral of the story? You reap what you sow.

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust 

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

* If you plant faith in ALLAH, you will reap an abundant harvest.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back