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A Short Story on Self Confidence

There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said.

After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.”

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

“I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.”

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Author Unknown
Story submitted by A.Bhatia

{ 99 comments… add one }
  • Tilottama September 22, 2020, 4:45 am

    Classic story on confidence building.

  • Kanagaraj October 9, 2019, 8:23 am

    Incredible message for who’s struggling in bad mindset.

  • JASH June 19, 2019, 7:11 am

    One of my best stories i ever read. the twist was like movie. Confidence is something that we all carry until we don’t try for it.

  • ritu August 27, 2018, 4:31 am

    awesome story, liked the twist at last..

  • Husein Ali May 16, 2018, 6:11 pm

    Awesome story for self confidence ! Love it !!

  • Maliheh August 29, 2017, 5:49 pm

    Very nice inspiration motivator story.
    This story proves how much support is important,Someone or something that believe our ability like that man and have a large power to compensate the situation anytime in case of the failure, like the amount of the check.
    Finally, if we believe always there is a hidden power that believers and save us in any situation we never lose our confidence.

  • Rashmi Gairola August 28, 2017, 8:23 am

    Good story

  • G.S.NAIR August 24, 2017, 3:39 am

    A very inspiring story

  • Saurabh rai August 15, 2017, 4:26 am

    This is really inspired story.you are really good..

  • Divyesh Lunagariya July 17, 2017, 1:00 pm

    No Matter What, Nvr Evr QUIT..!

  • Payal Patel May 4, 2017, 6:21 am

    simply amazing. The truth of life explained so simply.

  • Yakubu sani May 3, 2017, 2:01 am

    i really love this story

  • Sneha December 15, 2016, 6:02 am

    Awesome story

  • bornface August 8, 2016, 3:16 am

    very inspirational .. its has gave a news start

  • soham July 4, 2016, 2:51 am

    AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • W. Hayes May 2, 2016, 9:38 am

    This is indeed a great one!

  • Priyanka January 11, 2016, 1:30 pm

    Truely inspiring!

  • NaimishP December 11, 2015, 10:18 pm

    Really inspiring.
    Self-confidence is one’s real asset.

  • Murtala khairan November 29, 2015, 1:52 am

    Very interesting

  • Divyesh Lunagariya November 2, 2015, 11:02 pm

    never ever quit…

  • goodluck October 31, 2015, 6:06 pm

    amaizing stories

  • Viswanath Gowd October 28, 2015, 6:34 am

    movie like story

  • Muniyasamy October 28, 2015, 1:22 am

    i like this

  • Clue May 26, 2015, 1:11 am

    Self-confidence matters most.

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