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The Elementrees were having a day of secret doubts.

Amy Lockhart sat before a mirror and combed her hair. She looked at her face and clothes and thought, I will never be as beautiful and stylish as Cynthia Buttons. Oh, well.

Tommy Tomorrow lost another game of chess against Bobby Bishop. He thought, I will never  beat Bobby. Who cares about this stupid game anyway? But he knew Bobby cared, so he kept playing with him and losing everytime. It was an exercise in futility, true friendship, and staying humble.

Cleo Redding got a B minus on her math exam. She thought, I will never be as quick and good at math as Abigail Abacus, the math genius.

Brian Glass admired Pete Moss’s assertiveness and confidence. Unlike Pete, he was always shying away from any conflict. People easily got on his nerves, too, but he had no way of dealing with it except for by keeping to himself and doing his own thing.

Brenda Books thought about what a great and generous friend Trudy Jones was. She wished she could be as loving and kind as her, but it just felt so unnatural to her. She preferred reading her books rather than engaging in small talk—or any talk—with others.

Trudy admired Amy’s fearless leadership. She loved being Amy’s best friend, but felt like a born follower and not a leader like Amy. It made her sad with herself.

Bobby felt like he was always playing second fiddle to Tommy. Tommy was always the star and he was always the supporting actor.

Cynthia thought Cleo had an effortless beauty. She had to work hard to maintain her hair, nails, and fashion sense. Cleo just walked into a room and was always pretty no matter what she was wearing. She didn’t even have to say much and everyone still loved her.

Pete admired Brian’s height. Couldn’t the powers that be have made him just a wee bit taller? They gave Brian all this extra height and he was skimped in that department. He felt he had a height curse and would have to deal with it the rest of his life.

Abigail was good with numbers, but felt like a one hit wonder. Could she put her skills to bigger tasks like being a chess master like Bobby, an outer space explorer like Tommy, or a pioneering leader like Amy? Would she end up a small time number cruncher, replaceable by any calculator or computer software?

The Elementrees had a day of secret doubts. The following day was Monday and during the morning class, Ms. Applewood encouraged them all to appreciate, discover, and strengthen their unique gifts.

“Being the best we can be requires patience, persistence, and a positive attitude,” Ms. Applewood said. “There is only one you in the entire universe. No one is better or worse than you. Just different. You each have gifts that no one else in the entire universe ever had or ever will have quite like you. I encourage you all to find your gifts and make the most of them. You are here to be the best you can be. Learn from others, but avoid comparing yourself to others because that is the road to misery.”

Was Ms. Applewood telepathic or something? the Elementrees wondered. How did she know the exact best thing to say when they needed to hear it the most?

Question: What is a positive thought that inspires you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.