Honestly

A successful businessman was growing

old and knew it was time to choose a

successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or

his children, he decided to do something

different. He called all the young

executives in his company together. He

said, “It is time for me to step down and

choose the next CEO. I have decided to

chooseone 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, α̲̅πϑ the one I choose will be the

next.

CEO.”

One man, named Jim,was there that day

and he, like the others, received a seed. He

went home α̲̅πϑ excitedly, told his wife

the story.She helped him get a pot, soil

α̲̅πϑ compost and he planted the

seed. Everyday, he 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.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing

ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five

weeks went by, still nothing. By now,

others were talking about their plants, but

Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a

failure.

Six months went by—still nothing in Jim’s

pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees α̲̅πϑ tall plants,

but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say

anything to his colleagues, however… He

just kept watering α̲̅πϑ fertilizing the soil

– He 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. Jim told

his wife that he wasn’t going to take an

empty pot.

But she asked him to be honest about

ωнαт

happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it

was going to be the most embarrassing

moment of his life, but he knew his wife

was right. He took his empty pot to the

board room. When Jim arrived, he was

amazed at the variety of plants grown by

the other executives.

They were beautiful— in all shapes and

sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor

and many of his colleagues laughed,

a few felt sorry for him! When the CEO

arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted

his young executives.

Jim 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 Jim at the

back of the room with his empty pot. He

ordered the Financial Director to bring him

to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought,

“The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he

will have me fired!”

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked

him what had happened to his seed– Jim

told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down

except Jim.

He looked at Jim, and then announced to

the young executives, “Behold your next

Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!”

Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even

grow his seed.

“How could he be the new CEO?” the others

said.

Then the CEO said, “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 M̶̲̥̅̊ε̲̣̣̣̥ today. But I gave you

all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was

not possible for them to grow. All of you,

except Jim, 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. Jim was the only one with the

courage and honesty to bring me a pot

with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one

who will be the new Chief Executive

Officer!”

* 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 God, you will

reap a 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”