Before a pencil was placed in its box, the pencil maker took it aside for one last conversation.
"Before you go out into the world," he said, "there are five things you need to remember."
The pencil listened.
"First," he said, "you will be able to do great things. But only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand."
"Second," he said, "you will experience a painful sharpening from time to time. But it is necessary to make you a better pencil. Do not resist it."
"Third," he said, "you will be able to correct any mistakes you make. That is what the eraser is for."
"Fourth," he said, "the most important part of you will always be what is inside."
He picked up the pencil and held it gently.
"Fifth," he said, "whatever surface you are drawn across, you must leave your mark. You are not here to leave no trace. You are here to make a difference."
Then he placed it in the box with the others.
What this story teaches.
You will be able to do great things, but only in partnership with others. No one succeeds entirely alone.
Life will sharpen you. The painful experiences, the hard seasons, the difficult lessons. They are not punishments. They are the sharpening that makes you more capable of what comes next.
You will make mistakes. That is not the problem. The problem is refusing to use the eraser. Admitting a mistake and correcting it is not weakness. It is what the eraser is for.
What matters most about you is never what is visible on the outside. It is the quality of character you carry inside.
And you are here to leave a mark. Not a mark of noise, but of meaning. Kindness. Honesty. Care. Work that matters.
You are not here to leave no trace.
Pick up the pencil. Write something worth reading.