A story about why honesty is always the best policy.

Max the marker longed to show his beautiful color. Luckily, when the twins joined the class, he got his chance.

But why did he have to wait so long?

Short Story…

Being part of an assortment of colored dry erase markers made Max happy. He thoroughly enjoyed working in the first-grade classroom where kids would come up to the whiteboard and write with him.

Two of Max’s colleagues, Red Rhonda and Green Gerald, did whatever they could to get chosen by the kids. Most times, they’d roll to the top of the pack just so they could get chosen. As a result, almost everything the children wrote was red or green.

“Why are you guys using trickery to get selected?” Max asked them. “It would be nice if you gave the rest of us a chance.”

But Red Rhonda and Green Gerald continued to give themselves an unfair advantage. That is, until twins named Aden and Adele joined the class. Their favorite color was blue, which happened to be Max’s color.

Whenever the teacher invited either Aden or Adele to come up to the board, they always chose Max. They noticed that the colors used on the board were mainly red and green, so they always chose to add rich bursts of blue.

“Hey, how come that blue guy is getting so much attention when we’ve been hanging out at the top of the pile?” asked one of the dishonest markers.

Immediately, Max replied, “Well, that’s because someone finally noticed that you guys have been giving yourselves an unfair advantage.”

Instead of trying to be what he wasn’t, Max portrayed himself exactly as he was – a brilliant blue. Eventually, someone saw him for his true self and gave him more opportunities than he’d ever imagined.

Moral: Portraying yourself in an honest light always pays off.

Personal Reflection…

Max loved being one of the dry erase markers in the children’s classroom. He was always bursting with his brilliant blue color and looked forward to being the marker that kids chose to write with.

Many times, Max would get overlooked, but he never let that get him down. He continued to put his best self forward in positive anticipation.

Eventually, the students saw Max for what he truly was and gave him his moment to shine.

Seeing others get ahead of you is sometimes daunting, but their progress is hardly a reflection of your worth. It’s important to maintain integrity and avoid the temptation to do dishonest things to propel yourself to the top.

Honesty always leads to fitting opportunities for you to excel. Be patient with yourself and allow your blessings to come to you in due course.

As you wait for what is rightfully yours, ignore the efforts of others to gloat about their advantage over you. Anything achieved dishonestly is short-lived. Pay little attention to the reign of people who get to the top by compromising their integrity.

Remain committed to your beliefs and trust the timing of your life. The time you spend waiting on your chance to shine is time to be used honing your skills.

At the end of each day, be content with your achievement of staying true to yourself. It is one of the most difficult things to do in a world where people rarely stand for anything. Being you has its value. Trust that the time is coming for your value to be recognized.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How do I stay true to myself amidst temptation to impress others?
2. How do I go about selecting my role models?
3. How do I feel when someone else is awarded an opportunity over me?

A story about loving your true self…

Short Story

Growing up in the jungle with her friends in the animal kingdom brought Selena Snake a lot of joy. It warmed her heart to know she made forever friends. But, would she be able to keep those friends as she grew?

Sometimes, Selena couldn’t help but notice one glaring difference between her and the other jungle animals: She would shed her skin as often as four times per year.

“I wish my body wouldn’t constantly change as much as it does,” she said to her mom one day. “I just don’t know if my friends will love me the same with every change.”

Having lived through the same concerns in her younger days, her mom was empathetic. She shared some motherly wisdom with her daughter.

“Selena, honey, the only beauty that truly matters is the beauty inside.” She continued, “Your friends love being around you because you have a big heart.”

Selena stopped to take in her mom’s advice. She thought back to the endless times her friends hugged her so tightly because she was so kind to them.

“Y’know, mom,” she said, “I think you might be right!” My friends have never shied away from me because my skin sheds.”

Selena began to accept that her friends gravitated towards her because she was a wonderful person on the inside.

From that day onwards, Selena developed a deeper love for her character. Over time, her confidence grew and so did the bond with her childhood friends..

Moral: The beauty you exude from the inside shines brightly on the outside.

Personal Reflection

What Selena was faced with growing up is the same thing that has probably affected you at some point in your life. Falling victim to never feeling good enough is a truth that is lived by so many.

With societal pressures constantly projecting images of how you should look and act, it becomes difficult to embrace the true beauty that comes from within.

The minute you accept the positive energy that being your true inner self brings, you’ll see a complete transformation in how you feel about yourself.

The world is filled with so many cues that falsely define beauty. Some are focused on body weight, while others on sense of style. But those things are truly unimportant.

What matters most is the content of your heart. Your natural instincts to be kind to others makes you beautiful.

Waking up each morning with positive intention sparks the value that you’re meant to give to the world. By positively impacting the lives of others, you show your true, beautiful colors.

Give little regard to how your inner beauty is packaged. It’s what it generates that leaves a lasting impression on those around you.

So, the next time you feel a little self-conscious about how you look, remind yourself of how you’ve helped others. Focus on being a beautiful person on the inside and your self-confidence will soar.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How do I encourage myself to accept my flaws and shortcomings?
2. What impact do motivational influences have on my confidence?
3. What is my favorite definition of true beauty?