Smita and Pratibha were cousins. They lived in separate towns due to their father’s profession. Smitawas patient, noble playful and kind but Pratibha was impatient at every instance. She usually left her tasks incomplete whenever any obstacle challenged her.

Smita followed a fixed schedule daily. She was an average child academically. One day, she faced a peculiar problem. She was not able to memorize the table of sixteen. She forgot one or the other digit every now and then. Her mother also scolded her for this error. Smita started thinking for possible solutions to solve this problem. An idea struck her and she realized that regular memorisation was the best method to gain accuracy in this pattern of numbers.

The little girl jumped up from the bed as her eyes gleamed like jewels in the socket. She wrote the table on a coloured sheet and hung it beside her study table. She struck her favourite colourful stickers to arrest her attention, whenever she was in the room. The hassles disappeared soon and the multiplication table got etched in her mind.

Smita grew up into a perfect girl because she always tried to correct her mistakes. One day, in the Moral Science class, her teacher told her that early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wise. From the very next day, our ever-obedient girl became an early riser and started studying with full concentration. Learning was a blessing in the wee hours of the morning and she was able to grasp her lessons well in the most systematic manner. She scored well in the annual examination.

Pratibha had no tendency to improve. She did not search for alternatives to improve. Every now and then, she gave up her tasks angrily. She always felt disgusted with life and blamed everyone around for her failures.

A lovable lady joined Smita’s school as an art teacher. She was very affectionate towards students and advised Smita to improve her skills in art. A new task was on Smita’s plate. Every day, she tried to draw something but her piece of art lacked perfection. The devil in her conscience always pricked her, and instructed that art was no child’s play. The artists of her class made fun of her and she was told she could not master this as well. Smita controlled her tears and did not allow her emotions to overpower her. She joined an art school, during vacation for extra coaching. Her perseverance paid her dividends and the students were surprised to observe her artistic talent after vacation.

Smita knew that patience, practice, regular exercise and perseverance were the key to success. Twenty years hence, Smita is a successful business woman, running a chin of hotels in Europe. Pratibha is at the lowest rung of the ladder of success, managing somehow to earn her daily bread.