Chapter 52 Section 3 How to Eliminate Inferiority Feelings

I tried my best to memorize all the speeches, and then practiced it hundreds of times in front of trees and cows... If I hadn't won that competition back then, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to enter the Senate until I died. When I was 16, I often suffered from worries, fears, and low self-esteem.I'm really tall for my age, but I'm as thin as a bamboo pole.I'm 6'2" and only weigh 180 lbs.Although I was tall, I was physically weak and would never be able to compete with other young boys on the baseball field or track and field.They made fun of me and called me "thin bamboo pole".I was so sad and humbled that I scarcely dared to see people, and indeed I seldom saw people, because our farm was far from the road and surrounded by thick woods.Often I didn't see any strangers for a whole week, all I saw was my mother, father, sister, brother.

Every day, every hour, I always worry about my tall, thin and frail body.I can hardly think of anything else.My embarrassment and horror were so severe it is almost impossible to describe.Since my parents couldn't afford to send me to college, I knew I had to fight my own way.Therefore, when the cold winter comes, I go hunting, setting traps, and catching animals.In the spring I could sell the hides for $4, buy two piglets with that money, and sell them the next fall for another $40.With the money from the sale of the two pigs, I left home and entered the "Central Teachers College" - located in Danway, Indiana.I live frugally to less than $2 a week.I was wearing a brown shirt that my mother had made for me.I also have a suit that was supposed to belong to my father - my father's clothes didn't fit me.The shoes I had on were also his, and they did not fit mine as well, so that when I walked they almost fell off my feet.I felt even more inferior and didn't dare to deal with other students, so I sat alone in the room and read a book.My greatest desire at the time was to enable myself to buy clothes in stores that would fit me and not make me ashamed of them.

Then, however, four things happened that helped me overcome my worries and low self-esteem.One of those events gave me courage, hope, and confidence, and it completely changed my life for the rest of my life. The first: Not long after I entered Teachers College, I took an exam and obtained a "third-class certificate" that allowed me to teach in a public school in the country.Even though the certificate is only valid for 6 months, it shows that someone has confidence in me - the first time anyone other than my mother has expressed confidence in me. Second: The board of a rural school in "Happy Valley" hired me for $2 a day and $40 a month.It means someone has more confidence in me.

Third: After I got my first paycheck, I bought some clothes at the store and wore them so I wouldn't feel ashamed.I also finally dared to raise my head and straighten my chest to interact with people around me, which strengthened my confidence again. Number Four: The real turning point in my life—the first victory in my struggle to overcome depression and feelings of inferiority.The annual Putnam County Fair is held in Banbridge, Indiana.This year my mother encouraged me to enter one of the public speaking competitions.To me, the very idea was a fantasy.I didn't even have the guts to have a conversation in front of one person, let alone an audience.But my mother has faith in me and she has big dreams for my future - she lives for her son.Her confidence made me resolutely participate in the competition.I chose an essay titled "Liberal Arts in America."Frankly, I didn't know what free arts were when I first started preparing to speak, but I'm sure my audience didn't either.I memorized all my brilliant speeches and practiced them no less than 100 times in front of trees and cows.I was eager to do well in front of my mother.Therefore, I gave the speech with great emotion, and I won the first place, and I couldn't help being stunned.There was a round of cheers from the audience.The boys who once laughed at me and called me "Skinny Bamboo" now patted me on the back and said, "I knew you could do it, Elmo." My mother put her arms around me and cried with joy.

Even with what I've achieved now, every time I look back I can see that winning that tournament was a turning point in my life.The local newspaper ran a front page story about me and predicted my future.Winning that contest made me famous and well-known locally, and more importantly, it increased my confidence a thousandfold.I now understand very well that if I hadn't won that contest, I would never have been able to enter the U.S. Senate for the rest of my life, because this incident opened my eyes and expanded my horizons, making me realize that I have things I didn't even dare to dream of before. Potential.

Back then, I longed for a little more education.Therefore, for the next few years, I divided my time between teaching and learning.To pay for my tuition at DePaul University, I worked as a restaurant waiter, watched boilers, mowed grass, kept accounts, worked summers in wheat and corn fields, and picked stones on road projects. In 1896, when I was only 19 years old, I had given 28 speeches calling on people to vote for William Jennings Bryan for President.The enthusiasm for running for Brienne led to my own interest in entering politics.So when I went to DePaul University, I took two courses in law and public speaking.In 1899, I represented the school in a debate contest against Butler College in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, entitled "Should Senators of the United States Be Elected by the Masses."I also won a speech contest and became editor-in-chief of the class and school papers.

After getting my bachelor's degree from DePaul University, I went southwest and I came to a new place - Oklahoma.Here I also applied for a piece of land and opened a law firm in Lawton, Oklahoma.I served 13 years in the State Senate and 4 years in the State House of Representatives.When I turned 40, I finally achieved the greatest wish of my life: to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma.From March 4, 1917, I have been in the service.Since Oklahoma and the District of Indiana became the state of Oklahoma, I have been honorably nominated by the Liberal Party of that state—first to the State Senate, then to the State Legislature, and finally to the United States House of Representatives.

The reason why I tell so much about my past is not to show off to people.I just hope to add some courage and confidence to some young people who are struggling with low self-esteem.Because I know that when I wear my father's old clothes and those big shoes that always fall off, that kind of worry and inferiority almost ruined my life. (Editor's note: Elmo Thomas suffered from low self-esteem when he was young because of ill-fitting clothes, but later, he was named the best-dressed man in the U.S. Senate.)