Fairy Tales Sometimes Remind Us, How to Win

When Princess Anita was born, the king ordered his guards to abandon her in the forest because he wanted a son, not a baby girl.

Luckily, the princess did not die. A mother bear found her, took her to its cave, and raised her alongside its cubs. Anita grew up strong in the forest, learning to do anything a man could do.

When she turned sixteen, after her father died, her mother searched the forest and brought her back to the palace.

Anita blossomed into a beautiful lady, the desire of every prince from neighbouring towns, all asking for her hand in marriage. She decided to set up a competition to choose wisely, as they all seemed worthy.

Her demands were supposedly simple: Any prince who could beat her in a race would become her husband. As expected, since she was a woman, they all thought it would be easy, but none could outrun her.

One day, a very handsome prince from a distant land arrived and accepted the challenge. As they raced, realising he would lose given her remarkable speed, he dropped shiny gifts and ornaments along the track to distract her.

When Anita slowed down to gather the gifts, he reached the finish line first, and won her hand in marriage.

I know this sounds like one of those fairy tales we read growing up, but it carries a lesson for those of us who may be falling behind on our targets: Sometimes, it takes a change in strategy to win, whether it’s the market, new clients, or progress in our jobs.

As we begin this second half of the year, I pray you find fresh ways to reach those goals you set at the start.

Keep up the hustle.

Wishing you a blessed July 2025!

NB: Story adapted from Atalanta’s Race by Arty.

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