Nobody quite knows where Ms. Takes came from. Some believe her mother was Invention. Others believe Chance, Risk, or Life itself was her creator. As a child, little Miss Takes used to be greedier than her other classmates—always wanting more than her fair share. Properly named, Miss Takes was not a giver but a taker in every sense of the word. She would stun her mother, Invention, by saying nothing was possible, there wasn’t enough, and everything was hopeless. Her mother eventually had enough and made her a ward of the state of mind—left to drift in and out of consciousness.
As Miss Takes grew older, she would eventually make friends with Homeless and Downtrodden. It was with Unfortunate that she finally was able to settle down and plant some roots. Sad, Depressed, and Hopeless welcomed Miss Takes into their lives. They held onto her and identified with her. They modeled their lives after her. “Yes! The world was a horrible unfair place! Yes! Life was pointless!” Her fans would roar. It wasn’t long before Miss Takes had quite a following. Trouble-makers around the globe pointed to Miss Takes for their misfortune. She became the scapegoat for the worried and doubtful. Scoundrels and hooligans alike sought refuge in Miss Takes. The name Miss Takes became synonymous with Fear, Doubt, and Worry. Although she liked this new found infamy, she realized there was something missing in her life. She didn’t feel comfortable in her own skin.
One day she decided she would give up her fame and notoriety and try to uncover her true self. On one bright spring morning, Miss Takes changed her name to Miss Givings. The reaction to her name change was alarming. Miss Takes had been confident that by changing her name from Miss Takes to Miss Givings she would be loved and adored by everyone. Instead, she gave everyone an uneasy feeling. People were so used to Miss Takes they didn’t know what to make of Miss Givings. Like so many others, Miss Takes gave to others, hoping to receive the credit she never gave to herself. Despite her best efforts, no one trusted her. She became lost and took on an identity of insecurity that didn’t really suit her. She wondered if all she was, or could ever be, was one big mistake. Sad and dejected, Ms. Givings, formerly Miss Takes, contemplated taking her own life. As she sat in her one-room apartment and began to compose her final goodbye, there was a sudden knock on the door. She tried to ignore the knocking, but it would not stop. Finally, she decided to get up and answer it. To her surprise, Mister Success was knocking at her door.
“Are you Miss Givings, formerly called Miss Takes?” asked Mister Success.
“Yes,” answered Miss Takes.
“Oh! I have been looking for you everywhere!” he shouted. “I want to thank you for all the work you have done, and are doing, and I want you to go back to being who you are! You aren’t Miss Givings! You’re Miss Takes! If it wasn’t for you, myself and so many others like me could have never become whole.”
“You mean there are more of you?!” questioned Miss Takes.
“Yes! Yes!” he screamed. “There are billions of us! And we’ve all been looking for you! If it wasn’t for you, Miss Takes, none of us would have been complete!”
“I’m sorry,” Miss Takes replied. “Please leave me alone. You must have me confused with Inspiration or something.”
“No! Please don’t close the door,” he exclaimed, “Don’t you understand that you are inspiration? That, without you, there would be no alternative theories, no invention! Without you, Miss Takes, the world would always be the same and would never be able to learn. It is only because of you that we can learn from our beloved mistakes.”
She began to cry. She realized the world wasn’t a horrible miserable place with no room for Miss Takes. She was responsible for success; the world needed her. She embraced Mister Success, and they lived happily ever after. To this day, you will never find Mister Success where Miss Takes hasn’t paved the road for him to walk on.
As Miss Takes grew older, she would eventually make friends with Homeless and Downtrodden. It was with Unfortunate that she finally was able to settle down and plant some roots. Sad, Depressed, and Hopeless welcomed Miss Takes into their lives. They held onto her and identified with her. They modeled their lives after her. “Yes! The world was a horrible unfair place! Yes! Life was pointless!” Her fans would roar. It wasn’t long before Miss Takes had quite a following. Trouble-makers around the globe pointed to Miss Takes for their misfortune. She became the scapegoat for the worried and doubtful. Scoundrels and hooligans alike sought refuge in Miss Takes. The name Miss Takes became synonymous with Fear, Doubt, and Worry. Although she liked this new found infamy, she realized there was something missing in her life. She didn’t feel comfortable in her own skin.
One day she decided she would give up her fame and notoriety and try to uncover her true self. On one bright spring morning, Miss Takes changed her name to Miss Givings. The reaction to her name change was alarming. Miss Takes had been confident that by changing her name from Miss Takes to Miss Givings she would be loved and adored by everyone. Instead, she gave everyone an uneasy feeling. People were so used to Miss Takes they didn’t know what to make of Miss Givings. Like so many others, Miss Takes gave to others, hoping to receive the credit she never gave to herself. Despite her best efforts, no one trusted her. She became lost and took on an identity of insecurity that didn’t really suit her. She wondered if all she was, or could ever be, was one big mistake. Sad and dejected, Ms. Givings, formerly Miss Takes, contemplated taking her own life. As she sat in her one-room apartment and began to compose her final goodbye, there was a sudden knock on the door. She tried to ignore the knocking, but it would not stop. Finally, she decided to get up and answer it. To her surprise, Mister Success was knocking at her door.
“Are you Miss Givings, formerly called Miss Takes?” asked Mister Success.
“Yes,” answered Miss Takes.
“Oh! I have been looking for you everywhere!” he shouted. “I want to thank you for all the work you have done, and are doing, and I want you to go back to being who you are! You aren’t Miss Givings! You’re Miss Takes! If it wasn’t for you, myself and so many others like me could have never become whole.”
“You mean there are more of you?!” questioned Miss Takes.
“Yes! Yes!” he screamed. “There are billions of us! And we’ve all been looking for you! If it wasn’t for you, Miss Takes, none of us would have been complete!”
“I’m sorry,” Miss Takes replied. “Please leave me alone. You must have me confused with Inspiration or something.”
“No! Please don’t close the door,” he exclaimed, “Don’t you understand that you are inspiration? That, without you, there would be no alternative theories, no invention! Without you, Miss Takes, the world would always be the same and would never be able to learn. It is only because of you that we can learn from our beloved mistakes.”
She began to cry. She realized the world wasn’t a horrible miserable place with no room for Miss Takes. She was responsible for success; the world needed her. She embraced Mister Success, and they lived happily ever after. To this day, you will never find Mister Success where Miss Takes hasn’t paved the road for him to walk on.
