When I was 10

    When I was 10, I was chosen to join a speech contest. I had no idea why my classmates chose me. I would stutter from fear even when I spoke in front of my classmate. I went to the teacher and told him I would rather not do it. For my benefit, I suppose, the teacher encouraged me to give it a try. He said that I would have to conquer my stage fright sooner or later. I turned to my father for help, and he said exactly the same thing. On the day of the contest, I sat in the audience waiting my turn. I could hear my heart beating like a drum while the person before me was speaking. Then I decided I couldn’t bear it any more and rushed out of the place. That was a total failure for me. I was defeated even before I went into battle!