Once upon a time there was a little boy who struggled with a strong temper.

His father decided to teach him a lesson and he handed the boy a bag of nails and instructed him that whenever he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail into the fence.

On the first day, the boy impulsively hammered 37 nails into the fence.

Over the following weeks, the boy learned to control his temper, and the number of nails he hammered gradually decreased.

He realized it was easier to manage his anger than hammering nails into the fence.

Eventually, the day arrived when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. Excitedly, he shared the news with his father, who suggested that for each day the boy kept his temper in check, he should pull out a nail.

As days passed, the boy successfully removed all the nails. Proudly, he informed his father.

The father, however, took his son to the fence and pointed out the holes.

“You’ve done well, my son, but see the scars on the fence. It will never be the same.”

“Just like when you speak in anger, it leaves a scar. Words can hurt like a knife, and even if you apologize, the wound remains.”

Moral of the story

Anything you say when you are angry can cause irreparable harm. Try to control temper by moving its energy to a physical activity.