What I Learned From Losing In A Seed Growing Contest
And I tried really hard to win, too.
“We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm.”
Nikos Kazantzakis, via MoveMe Quotes
I remember a time in middle school when my science teacher challenged the entire class to a seed growing contest.
The challenge was simple enough — we would all get a seed (the same kind from the same pack) and we would see who could grow the seed into the biggest plant.
Most of the other middle school kids didn’t care much for challenges like this… not me. I was a competitive little spirit and I wasn’t just going to let my teacher beat me — it was on.
So, what did I do?
I obsessed over the challenge, of course.
Over the next few weeks I made sure my seed got the most light, the most water, and had the most attended to soil. My strategy was simple: do more than everybody else — and that’s exactly what I did.
I even distinctly remember feeling a sense of confidence when looking at my teacher’s little pot and seeing how dry and seemingly ignored it was. I was convinced that there was no way he could win after seeing that. I was putting in way more work and…
