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Signs everywhere:
"GENIUS FLOWERS ONLY"
"NO MISTAKES ALLOWED"
"SMART OR NOT"
"FAILURE = FINAL"
Rows of identical plants,
perfectly spaced,
never growing beyond
their predicted height.
Children tiptoeing
between beds,
afraid to touch
anything they might
break or bruise.
The gardener shakes his head:
"Some seeds are just
destined for greatness.
Others..." *shrug*
But across the fence:
The Growth Mindset Garden:
Wild and wonderful,
sunflowers next to
strawberries,
roses learning
from weeds,
mistakes composting
into fertiliser.
Signs reading:
"NOT YET BLOOMING"
"LEARNING IN PROGRESS"
"MISTAKES WELCOME"
"EFFORT = EVERYTHING"
Children with muddy hands,
planting seeds
of possibility,
watering with
persistence,
celebrating
each green shoot.
The gardener kneels
beside struggling seedlings:
"Look how far
you've grown!
What shall we try
next?"
Here, every plant
is a work in progress.
Here, the word "failure"
is replaced with
"learning opportunity."
Here, "I can't"
becomes "I can't... yet."
And the most beautiful thing:
plants that were labeled
"weeds" in the other garden
bloom brilliantly here,
proving that potential
is not predetermined
but cultivated
with care.
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