Self Confidence

When Henry Ward Beecher was a young boy in school, he

learned a lesson in self confidence which he never

forgot.

He was called upon to recite in front of the class. He

had hardly begun when the teacher interrupted with an

emphatic, "No!" He started over and again the teacher

thundered, "No!"

Humiliated, Henry sat down. The next boy rose to

recite and had just begun when the teacher shouted,

"No!" This student, however, kept on with the

recitation until he completed it.

As he sat down, the teacher replied, "Very good!"

Henry was irritated. "I recited just as he did," he

complained to the teacher. But the instructor replied,

"It is not enough to know your lesson; you must be

sure. When you allowed me

to stop you, it meant that you were uncertain. If all

the world says, 'No!' it is your business to say,

'Yes!' and prove it."

The world will say, "No!" in a thousand ways.

"No! You can't do that."

"No! You are wrong."

"No! You are too old."

"No! You are too young."

"No! You are too weak."

"No! It will never work."

"No! You don't have the education."

"No! You don't have the background."

"No! You don't have the money."

"No! It can't be done."

And each "No!" you hear has the potential to erode

your confidence bit by bit until you quit all

together.

Though the world says, "No!" to you today, will you

determine to say, "Yes!" and prove it?

Have a positive day!