The name of Dale Carnegie is synonymous with success and influence. Perhaps the most well-known author in the field of communication and public speaking, Dale Carnegie was born into poverty on a small farm in Missouri, on November 24, 1888. His father, named John William Caraagie, was a poor farmer. His mother, named Amanda Elizabeth Camagie, worked with his father on the farm. Dale Camegey came from humble beginnings. Yearly floods devastated the farm and kept the family poor.

The family was in debt, and as a young boy he had to get up at 4 a.m. every day to milk the cows and help on the farm, then to go to school. As a boy, Dale was known for one thing: reciting. He used his talents in church functions and local events. In high School he joined the debating team, but never won a debate. Frustrated, he was determined to go to college and attended a state teacher’s school. He couldn’t afford to board at the school, so he rode a horse each day to class. It was said that he practiced his reciting to the horse!

As a child, Carnegie lacked of confidence and was often full of worries in those days. One day, while helping his mother pit cherries, he began to cry. His mother said, “Dale, what in the world are you crying about?” He blubbered, “I am afraid I am going to be buried alive!”

When thunderstorms came, he worried for fear he would be killed for lightning. When hard times came, he worried for fear they wouldn’t have enough to eat. He worried for fear he would go to hell when he died. He was terrified for fear an older boy, Sam White, would cut off his big ears 一 as he threatened to do... Later he finally found out that 99 percent of his worries did not happen.

It’s this humble and unconfident little boy who became a lecturer, giving hundreds of thousands of people confidence and optimism all over the world. It’s not difficult for one to imagine how arduous the development process involved has been.