Once there was a little boy called Joshua. He was a very bright and curious child, who loved exploring and learning new things. He was always eager to learn more and never stopped asking questions.

One day, Joshua’s teacher gave the class an assignment. Everyone had to write a story, and the best one would win a prize. Joshua was very excited and started brainstorming ideas right away. He thought of a story about a magical creature that came to life.

When the day came to present the stories, Joshua was nervous. He had worked hard on his story and was sure it was the best one.

But as he stood up to present his story, he heard a few whispers of laughter coming from the back of the class. He noticed his classmates were snickering and rolling their eyes. Joshua felt embarrassed and slowly sat back down. He was sure his story wasn’t as good as he thought it was.

When the results were announced, Joshua was disappointed to find out he had not won the prize. He was confused why his story wasn’t good enough. He felt deflated, as if he wasn’t good enough.

That weekend, Joshua went to visit his grandparents. They were the ones who always encouraged him to use his creativity and imagination. His grandpa noticed something was off and asked him what was wrong. Joshua told him about his story and his feeling of failure.

His grandpa then told him something important: success is not measured by how others view you and your achievements, but by how much effort you put in and how much you learn from it. He explained that true success is intrinsic, not extrinsic.

Joshua thought deeply about his grandpa’s words and realized he was right. He realized that although he didn’t win the prize, he was still successful because he had put in his best effort and gained knowledge. Furthermore, Joshua was reminded of the importance of staying true to himself and his beliefs, regardless of what other people thought.

With this newfound wisdom, Joshua felt more confident than ever. From then on, Joshua focused on having an intrinsic motivation that drove him to succeed in everything he did.

Moral of the Story: Success is about the effort we put in and the lessons we learn from our experiences, not about the awards and recognition we may receive from others.