Whittle pencils

Whittle Pencils

Some years ago, a little girl lived with her grandmother. She asked her grandmother about her life. Why was her life not as luck her friend? She always failed and failed. Her grandmother smiled and very patient heard her grandchild question. Suddenly, her grandmothers hug her and tried to remember something. Then, she asked her grandchild to remember about the competition that the girl had.

The girl remembered the competition then started over her story. She told the story to her grandmother. Someday, she joined the competition in her school. She joined whittle pencils competition. It sound funny competition but it was very exciting competition for children since the competition whittle the pencils as much as they had in 10 minutes. She remembered, the first time joined the competition. She heard the announcement that her school will be held a competition for annual anniversary for her country. As usual many of competition held and she really excited with whittle pencils.

Almost every day in her home, she tried to prepare that her whittle was the best. As the rule, they could not allow to whittle by sharpener, so the participant should whittle the pencils by cutter First time, she tried to whittle her pencil but it was bad. The pencil was broken and dull. Then, she used her savings money to buy pencils and cutter. She started over to whittle her pencil, but each pencil that she whittle always broken and dull. She had not get a sharp pencil until she has run through 10 pencils. But, she was not gives up. She had new idea to try with bamboo stick. It was cheaper than she should buy more pencils. Then, she tried to whittle and whittle till she got the sharp bamboo stick.

In that day of competition, her friends underestimated and laughed her that she was not good at whittle pencil. But, she was not hear them and believed that she also could do it. With confidently, she started to whittle her first pencil. Time went on and she only finished 5 pencils in that competition. Though she only finished 5pencils and got in the third winner, she was very happy because she could finish her whittle pencils sharply and the pencils not broken. After she has done the story, her grandmother looked at her grandchild and smiled again.  She said, “You have done the best”. She did the competition best and kept the persistence from failure to reach the success. She did not think about the first winner but her process to give the best for the competition.

Like a quote from Choirul Tanjung in his biography “Chairul Tanjung Si Anak Singkong”

None of success can be reached like tipping over palm of hand. Needed perseverance, persistence, and high discipline and never give up reaching ambition. (Thjahja Gunawan Diredja, 2012)

So, every people had ever gotten failure in their life. It depend every person to work out their failure. They will keep it and give up or make it become a bridge to reach a success.