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.

Looking to Publish or Print anything, get in touch with us at Jewel Publishers,

📲 Call or WhatsApp (for quick responses in Nigeria): 08033615992

📩 Email: jewelswriting@gmail.com, chukachiezie@jewelpublishersng.com

Comments

DEBT IS A VERY BAD THING

You may not know me personally, but take this from me: DEBT COULD BE A TERRIBLE THING. As long as you owe someone, you remain their servant, no matter how talented or respected you are. Yesterday, while driving to work and enjoying my heavenly sandwich, I spotted Emeka in traffic and nearly lost my appetite. Why? I remembered how badly I suffered in his hands after I was duped of the money I had borrowed from him to fund a certain business opportunity. Let me gist you. When I went back to Emeka to explain what had happened, he empathised with me and even offered a payment plan since it was clear I couldn't return the money all at once. Sometime after, we were both invited to serve as panellists at a supply chain management event. I was the first to share my thoughts on a topic, which Emeka later disagreed with. But my take must have sounded more compelling, because I was asked to expand further. Crazy me (forgetting that my oga at the top was seated beside me), I took a whiteboar...

DO NOT LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS

DO NOT LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS A few years ago, at my friend's grocery shop, I witnessed a heated altercation between him and one of his sales staff. The scene was unpleasant, with harsh words flying back and forth. When I inquired, I discovered that he had audited the shop's accounts and deducted the cost of missing items from the staff member's salary, per their prior agreement. Upset by this, the staff member decided to resign, demanding a refund of the deductions. My friend responded, "We'll need to inform your guarantor about the missing items before I can process a refund." This remark caused the staff member to angrily exclaim, "This small, nonsense shop is asking for a guarantor—how much is the entire business even worth?" I noticed those words hit my friend hard. He felt his business wasn’t being respected because it was seen as “too small” to deserve proper structure. To every business owner out there, running a business is a ...

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER PRISON ?

A few years ago, I listened to a message by Bishop T.D. Jakes where he spoke about the high likelihood of ex-convicts returning to prison. This, he said, was largely due to the difficulty they face reintegrating into society. One major challenge is public acceptance. Many employers don’t want individuals with criminal records associated with their brand. Others fear that the ex-convict might relapse into old behaviours, potentially causing harm or bringing trouble to their organisation. While these concerns are understandable, Bishop Jakes advocated for meaningful reform during incarceration. He suggested that churches, manufacturers, and other businesses should create training programmes for inmates—equipping them with skills that will help them survive once they are released. The goal? To reduce the temptation to return to crime. A few days ago, while scrolling through social media, I came across a photo with a caption that caught my attention: President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina F...

Ask Chuka

Search This Blog