The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.
He saton the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save hiscompany 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 Ican help you."
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his handsaying, "Take this money.
Meet me here exactly one year from today, andyou 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 byJohn 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 knowingit was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save hisbusiness, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms ofpayment.
He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out ofdebt 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 executivewas about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse camerunning up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried.
"I hope he hasn't been botheringyou. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's JohnD. Rockefeller. "
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned.
All year long he'dbeen wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half amillion dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that hadturned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave himthe power to achieve anything he went after.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.
He saton the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save hiscompany 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 Ican help you."
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his handsaying, "Take this money.
Meet me here exactly one year from today, andyou 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 byJohn 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 knowingit was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save hisbusiness, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms ofpayment.
He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out ofdebt 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 executivewas about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse camerunning up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried.
"I hope he hasn't been botheringyou. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's JohnD. Rockefeller. "
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned.
All year long he'dbeen wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half amillion dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that hadturned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave himthe power to achieve anything he went after.
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