Once, there was a King who loved Chess and was impressed by its inventor. Chess is a mind game that rewards patience and smart moves, and the King decided to reward the creator of such an amazing game.
The old man came to the king’s palace. He was honored by the ruler and asked for a reward that matched the game’s wonder. The old man replied that “I just want you to put one grain in the first box of Chess, then double the grains in the second, keep doubling the grains box by box, and give me the grains of the last box in the game.” This humble request demonstrates a powerful lesson about helping others, as seen in Story On Helping Others.
The king was initially amazed and thought the request might be a prank, joking that such a task deserved a bigger reward. This idea that small steps can lead to big results is echoed in Big Change with Small Steps.
Yet the old man repeated the request, and the king eventually decided to fulfill it.
The servants led the old man to the grain stock and began counting, doubling the count after each box. They soon realized the final box would require an inconceivable number of grains, far beyond the stock available, a reminder of how small steps compound, as discussed in Small Change has a Big Impact.
The servants returned to the king and explained that doubling the grains from box to box would eventually demand grains of the entire world, far more than their stock could supply.
The king was shocked again, realizing the old man had asked for the wealth of the world as his reward.
This is the compound effect of small actions repeated over time to achieve big results, a concept explored in Big Change with Small Steps.
Story Lesson: “Small things can make a big difference”
