It was a cold Monday in early January. Hamza’s school had just reopened after the winter break and it was result day, a day he had been waiting for eagerly. He had worked so hard throughout the term that he sometimes barely had time to eat properly.

Hamza was optimistic that this time he would secure first position. So excited and nervous, he stood in line as the principal took the microphone and began announcing the position holders.

When it was Grade Eight’s turn, Hamza gasped, finally thinking his moment had come. But the principal announced Ali’s name for first position and Ayesha’s for second, followed by Hamza’s for third. He could not believe that, despite working so hard, he had failed to secure the top position.

Hamza fought back his tears and walked onto the stage to receive his trophy. But the truth was that he did not care about it.

After the ceremony, Hamza went to congratulate Ali and Ayesha. Then he asked Ali, “I never see you studying that much, yet you get better marks than me. I study for hours, so how do you do it?”

Ali replied calmly, “I don’t study for ten hours a day. I just study consistently and regularly. Even on weekends, I revise for 30 minutes.”

This was something new to Hamza. He kept wondering how Ali managed to make studying seem so simple.

When he reached home, his mother was waiting for him. “How was your result?” she asked immediately.

Hamza could not hold back his tears. His mother was shocked to see him cry. She comforted him, gave him some water and asked what had happened. Hamza told her how hard he had studied, but still failed to improve his position. He explained how disappointed he felt and admitted that he wanted to give up.

His mother listened carefully before saying, “Sometimes, the problem isn’t what we think it is. We may believe we’re doing everything right, but there’s often something small that we’re missing.”

“Yes, exactly! What am I missing, Mum?” Hamza asked.

“Observe yourself honestly. At the end of each day, ask yourself, ‘What mistake did I make today? Where do I need to improve?’ If you do this regularly, you’ll find the answer you’re looking for,” she said.

For the next week, Hamza asked himself the same questions every day and tried to find a solution. Soon, he noticed something interesting. He would study for four hours a day for two days, but by the third day, he felt so tired that he would not study at all.

He shared his discovery with his mother, who smiled. “I knew you would find the missing piece by observing yourself calmly.”

“But Mum, why does this happen?” Hamza asked.

“Imagine a gardener pouring three buckets of water on his plants in one day and then not watering them for the rest of the week. Will the plants grow well?”

“Obviously not! You have to water them daily, in smaller amounts,” Hamza replied.

“Exactly!” she said.

Her simple explanation made everything clear to Hamza. He began studying for shorter periods, but made sure to do so regularly. As usual, he felt tired on the third day, but this time, he did not take the day off. Instead, he continued studying on the third and fourth days. It took time, but gradually, he developed a consistent routine.

Soon, it was time for his final-term examinations. However, another challenge stood in his way: his cousin’s wedding fell during the exam period.

This time, Hamza planned his days carefully, balancing his studies with the wedding celebrations without taking a day off from his routine. His mother was delighted to see how well he managed both.

Hamza gave the examinations his best effort and felt confident about his performance. He no longer worried about the result because he knew he had done his best.

When result day finally arrived, everything seemed familiar: the same stage, the same gathering and the principal announcing the position holders.

“The first position in Grade Eight goes to Hamza!”

A calm smile appeared on Hamza’s face.

After the ceremony, Ali came over to congratulate him. Congratulations, Hamza! You deserved this because you didn’t give up.”

As Hamza walked home, he felt happy and at peace. He had finally understood what he had been missing, and he knew he no longer needed to fret over his results.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 24th, 2026