The sharpened pencil

As she sat drawing in her art book, a little girl broke her pencil nib. She ran to her father, asking him to sharpen it for her. He happily agreed.

"Can I ask you a question?" her father asked her as she waited.

"Yes, Daddy," she replied.

"Every time a pencil nib breaks, we don't throw away the pencil, do we?" he asked.

"No, Daddy, we sharpen it and use it again," she said, smiling.

"What if I sharpen it and it breaks again? Can we throw it away then?" he continued.

The little girl laughed. "No, Daddy! We just sharpen it and use it again."

Her father beamed with joy. "Good answer! You know, this is what I want you to learn. When we make mistakes, it doesn't mean we're failures. We can always try again and again."

The little girl's eyes lit up. "So, I just have to keep sharpening myself like the pencil?" she asked.

Her father hugged her. "Exactly, my princess! You always have to keep trying and practicing, and that's how you get better and better."

He handed her a freshly sharpened pencil, and she smiled, feeling inspired to always keep trying and never give up, even when she made mistakes.