Once upon a time, there lived a very wise farmer who could grow very good corn. Each year he would take part in the state farmer’s fair (展览会) and win a top award for his corn. He became famous and attracted the villagers nearby to visit his farm. And big companies came to buy his corn as well.

The story of the farmer reached the ears of a reporter. Curious about the secret of his success, the reporter came to interview him. While he was learning about the farmer’s growing skills, he found that the farmer shared his best quality seeds (种子) with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best corn seeds with your neighbors when some of them might go to the fair as well?” the reporter asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?” the farmer replied. “The wind picks up pollen (花粉) from the corn and moves it from field to field. If my neighbors grow poor quality corn, cross pollination (授粉) will finally damage the quality of my corn too. If I am to grow high quality corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn too.”

The farmer’s answer made the reporter understand connections in life.

It is the same with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help others around them to live in peace too. Those who wish to be loved must first learn to love others too.

Failure isn’t the end, unless you let it be. Don’t believe me? Here are four people who lived through failure before going on to become names known around the world:

Walt Disney

Disney began his career by being fired by a newspaper for not being creative enough. Later, his Mickey Mouse cartoons were rejected because they were considered to be “too scary for women”. Also, “The Three Little Pigs” was turned down because it only had four characters. Thankfully, we have the Disney company today because Walt chose not to listen to any of his critics and press forward towards his dreams.

Stephen King

King is a best-selling writer whose work has been made into several motion pictures. However, his first work was rejected 30 times, which lead to King throwing it in the trash. Thankfully, his wife made him keep working at it, and — from that struggling start — Carrie was born.

Milton Hershey

The man who blessed us with the sweet milk-chocolate treat we all love wasn’t a hit the first time around. He once worked for a local candy factory. But when he went out on his own, he failed miserably. Then he returned to the family farm and perfected the art of making delicious milk-chocolate candy, which we enjoy in the form of Hershey chocolate today.

Theodor Giesel

This author struggled to write a novel that publishing companies would call something other than “pure rubbish” several times — 27 to be exact. The man just wouldn’t quit, though. One fateful night, he ran into an old friend who was a children’s literature editor. The friend agreed to publish Giesel’s work. Better known today as Dr. Seuss, Giesel was never again called a failure after his first book struck it.

We all have them in our lives—Ms. Late and Mr. Early. They live among us just to try our patience. They can’t seem to get out of their own way and arrive on time. It’s a problem, and they know it, but that’s how they roll.

I’ve ever been in the room with my bestie Tinkerbell and said, “It’s time to go.” She agreed. Then, she turned around and ordered a T-shirt she had seen online, checked her email, folded her laundry and searched for her purse while I was waiting by the door.

But as exasperating as it is to have Ms. Late in your life, it’s equally painful to have Mr. Early.

My husband Hubby is in this category. He will time things to the minute. “The movie is at four. We have five stops to make before that, so estimating 15 to 20 minutes per stop, not counting traffic or unforeseen circumstances like a flat tire, we should leave after breakfast.”

Being too early or too late is a suffering, but it never seems to bother the person himself. It only affects the poor ones in their company who just do their best to show up when they’re supposed to.

I’d like to know how early in life this behaviour came into being. How does our internal clock leave one person unconcerned about time passing, and the other constantly aware of it? Look at my kids. My son is very laid back, and he didn’t arrive until nine days after his due date. My daughter, a spitfire (烈性子), arrived before her Christmas Day due date, so maybe it’s nature from the very beginning.

The one thing that does happen is that this behaviour has become part of the charm of the person you love. You can’t imagine Mr. Early ever being late or Ms. Late ever showing up early. As long as they show up.