I charged Chucky again， with a bit more speed behind me this time. Three hops， and I was right in front of him. But before I could think what to do next， Chucky nailed me with a straight arm. Just one arm bam to the chest， and I slammed to the ground. I even bounced once. Okay， maybe twice.
My head conked on the hard-hearted Oval. The world faded to black. A shrieking girl quickly brought me back to my senses.
I prayed for the teacher cavalry. Why can you never find an assistant principal when you need one？
Finally my vision cleared， and there was the evil Chucky hovering over me. The fat-faced mongrel was doing a victory dance.
That does it. I’m laying this bloke out！
I flipped onto my stomach， planted my forehead， and raised myself up for a final charge. My adrenaline was pumping. This time I galloped at him as fast as I could go， which was a lot faster than Chucky had anticipated.
He‘d started to backpedal on his knees. I took a flying leap， using my left foot to launch myself like a human missile. My flying head butted Chucky smack in the nose. He went down. I landed on top of him and rolled.
When I looked up， Chucky was sprawled on the ground， holding his nose and bawling uncontrollably.
Instead of feeling victorious， I was overcome by guilt. The pastor’s son begged for forgiveness： “I‘m so sorry， are you okay？”
“Look， Chucky’s bleeding！” a girl cried.
No way， I thought.
But sure enough， blood from Chucky‘s nose was leaking through his pudgy fingers. He took his hand away， and it poured down his face and stained his shirt in bright red.
Half the crowd was cheering. The other half was mortified—for Chucky. After all， he’d just been beat up by a shrimp with no arms or legs. He would never live this down. Chucky‘s bullying days were over. He pinched his nose with his fingers and scurried into the bathroom.
Honestly， I never saw him again. He must have quit school in shame. Chucky， if you are out there， I’m sorry， and I hope you have had a good post-bully life.
I was proud of sticking up for myself but burdened by guilt. After school I went home and confessed to my parents as soon as I walked in the door. I was dreading a severe punishment. But I had no need to be worried. Dad and mum didn‘t believe me！ They simply did not think it possible that I’d beaten up a bigger， older， and fully-equipped bloke！
I didn‘t try to convince them otherwise.
As much as people enjoy hearing this story and as funny as certain aspects of it are， I have mixed feelings about even telling it， since I don’t advocate violence. I believe meekness is strength withheld. I‘ll always remember my first—and only—fight because I discovered that when push came to shove， I could overcome my fears. At that age especially， it felt good to know that I had the strength to defend myself. I guess you could say I learned that I could afford to be meek because I had tapped the strength inside me.
NO ARMS， NO LEGS， NO FEAR
You may have a strong sense of purpose， great hope for the possibilities in your life， faith in your future， an appreciation for your own value， and even a great attitude， but fear can hold you back from achieving your dreams. There are many handicaps worse than having no arms and no legs—fear can be especially debilitating. You cannot live a fulfilling life that fully expresses your blessings if fear controls your every decision.
Fear will hold you back and keep you from being who you want to be. But fear is just a mood， a feeling—it’s not real！ How often have you feared something—a trip to the dentist， a job interview， an operation， or a test in school—only to discover that the actual experience was not nearly as bad as you had imagined？
I thought I would get creamed in my first-grade fi ght with Chucky-boy， but look how that turned out！ All too often adults revert back to childish fears. They go back to acting like kids frightened at night because they imagine that the tree limb scraping the bedroom window is actually a monster trying to eat them up.
I‘ve seen fear absolutely paralyze otherwise normal people. I’m not referring to scary movie fears or childhood fears of bumps in the night. So many people are handicapped by fear of failure， fear of making mistakes， fear of making a commitment， even fear of success. It‘s inevitable that fears will come knocking on your door. You don’t have to let them in. You send them on their way， and then go on yours. You have that choice.
Psychologists say most fears are learned. We are born with only two instinctive fears： fear of loud noises and fear of being dropped. I had a fear of being mauled by Chucky back in the first grade， but I got over it. I decided that I wasn‘t going to wait until I felt brave—I just acted brave， and in the end I was brave！
Even as adults we create fearful fantasies that simply don’t match up to reality. This explains why fear is often described as “False Evidence Appearing Real.” We become so focused on our fears that they become real to us—and as a result， we let them control us.
It‘s hard to imagine someone as big and successful as Michael Jordan being afraid. Yet during his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame， Jordan talked openly about how he often used his fears to drive himself to be a better athlete. At the conclusion of his speech， he said， “One day you might look up and see me playing the game at fifty. Oh， don’t laugh， don‘t laugh. Never say never. Because limits， like fears， are often just an illusion.”
Jordan may have been a better basketball player than life coach， but he had a point. Follow the Jordan rules； recognize that fears are not real and soar past them， or put them to use. The key to dealing with your worst fears， whether it is fear of flying， fear of failing， or fear of relationships， is to recognize that the fear is not real. It is an emotion， and you can control your response to your emotions.
I had to learn this lesson early in my speaking career. I was very fearful and nervous. I did not know how people would respond to what I had to say. I wasn’t sure they‘d even listen to me. Fortunately， my first speaking engagements were to my fellow students. They knew me， and we were comfortable with each other. Over time I began speaking to larger youth groups and churches with only a few friends sprinkled into the crowd. Gradually I overcame my nervousness and fears.
