The Emperor’s Seeds: Raising Kids to Value Effort Over Results

One morning, a newspaper announcement spread across Japan with an unusual invitation. Families with children between the ages of seven and eleven were invited to bring them to the imperial palace for a special evaluation. The child chosen would be adopted by the emperor as his heir.

On the appointed day, hundreds of children arrived.

The emperor addressed them and explained that he had no children and was looking for someone worthy to continue after him.

“To choose,” he said, “I will give each of you a task. You will receive a flowerpot and seeds. Plant them, water them, and care for them as best as you can. In three months, return with your pot, and I will decide.”

The Test No One Expected

One of the children, named John, carefully planted his seeds and did everything he could. Days passed, then weeks, but nothing grew.

He felt disappointed. His mother gently encouraged him. “Do your part. The results are not in your hands.”

Three months later, John looked at his flowerpot. It was clean and beautifully arranged, but still empty.

At the palace, he saw all the other children holding pots filled with colorful flowers. Embarrassed, he wanted to hide his.

The emperor walked among the children, examining each pot. He did not look pleased.

When he reached John and saw no pot in front of him, he asked, “Where is yours?”

“I’m ashamed of it,” John said quietly.

“Bring it,” the emperor replied.

John hesitated, then placed his empty pot before him. Some children laughed.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the emperor smiled and announced, “This child will be my heir.”

Action Over Results

The room fell silent as the emperor explained.

“I gave all of you seeds that could not grow. When nothing happened, most of you replaced them with new seeds. But this child did exactly what I asked. He focused on the task, not the result. That is why I choose him.”

A Lesson for Parenting

As parents, we want our children to succeed. We encourage them, push them, and hope to see results.

But if we want to truly help them grow, we need to shift our focus.

Instead of emphasizing results, we should emphasize effort and action.

When a child learns to invest in the process, they build resilience. Even if they do not succeed right away, they do not break or give up.

A Real Life Example

A man once began working in fundraising and was given a monthly target to reach. He tried, but without success, and quickly became discouraged.

Instead of focusing on the outcome, he changed his goal. His only task was to make thirty calls a day.

Call, speak, try. That was all.

The results improved beyond expectation.

Why? Because the pressure was gone. He focused on what he could control. He became calmer, more natural, and more consistent. And the results followed.

What We Choose to Praise

When we praise children for results alone, we tie their value to success.

But when we praise effort, persistence, and action, we give them something much deeper.

We teach them that what matters is showing up, trying, and doing their best.

Let the Results Come

Our role is to guide our children toward meaningful action and steady effort.

The results are not always in our hands.

But when we focus on what we can control, and help our children do the same, growth happens naturally.

With Hashem’s help, the flowers will bloom.