way out. He sat on a park bench, head in his hands. Suddenly, an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the businessman's story, the old man wrote out a check, gave it to the businessman, and said, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back then."

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

The businessman 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 settle all my debts in a moment!" he realized. But instead, he decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, using it as a spur to motivation and self-confidence.

Within months, he was back on his feet. 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 businessman was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man, saying, "I'm so glad I caught him! 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 businessman stood there dumbfounded. All at once, he knew all his fear and struggles were for nothing. He went on to live a successful life, free from worry.

Moral: Sometimes we create our own fears and limitations, which can be more daunting than any real challenges. Trust in yourself and your abilities, and know that help is always available, even if it comes in unexpected ways.