Once upon a time, there was a rich dude who went on vacation and left his three servants with some serious cash. To one servant, he gave five bags of gold; to another, two bags; and to the last guy, one bag. He told them, “Take care of my money while I’m gone!” and then jetted off to some exotic beach.

The first servant, a savvy investor, took his five bags and doubled them by the time the master came back. “Check it out, boss! Ten bags!” he said, with a grin.

The second servant also got busy and turned his two bags into four. “Look, I doubled it too!” he proudly announced.

The third servant, however, was a bit of a nervous Nellie. He thought, “What if I lose it? Better play it safe.” So, he dug a hole and buried his one bag of gold in the backyard.

When the master returned, he was thrilled with the first two guys. “Well done! You guys are awesome. Party at my place tonight!” he said. Then he turned to the third servant.

“So, what did you do with my gold?” he asked.

The third guy sheepishly dug up the dirt-covered bag and said, “Well, I was scared, so I buried it. Here it is, just as you left it.”

The master was not impressed. “Seriously? You could’ve at least put it in the bank to earn some interest! You’re fired, and I’m giving your gold to Mr. Ten Bags over there.”

And so, the master taught them all a lesson: use what you’ve got wisely, or you might end up with nothing—and miss out on the party.