Three Feet from Gold: A Lesson in Persistence and Breakthroughs

What if you quit just before reaching your biggest breakthrough? In today's episode of the Elevate Media Podcast, host Chris Anderson brings a compelling tale from Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" that will make you rethink giving up. We're talking about the famous story of R.U. Darby and his uncle, who walked away from a gold mine only three feet from a massive vein. This isn't just a tale of missed opportunity; it's a powerful lesson in persistence and the importance of seeking expert advice before throwing in the towel.

Chris offers a fresh perspective on how this classic story can apply to your entrepreneurial journey today. Facing temporary defeats and feeling the urge to quit is part of the game, but this episode will reignite that spark to keep pushing forward. Whether you're a father working tirelessly to support your family or an entrepreneur eager for that elusive breakthrough, this session promises a boost in motivation and practical wisdom. Tune in and discover why your next big success could be just three feet away.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Elevate Media podcast with your host, chris Anderson. In this show, chris and his guests will share their knowledge and experience on how to go from zero to successful entrepreneur. They have built their businesses from scratch and are now ready to give back to those who are just starting. Let's get ready to learn, grow and elevate our businesses. And now your host, chris Anderson.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Have you ever felt like giving up? You feel like everything you've been doing to try to grow your business, get to the next level, have a consistent income, just isn't working. You're at the point where it just feels the hardest and you want to walk away and give up. Well, this episode, I've got a story for you that I hope will motivate you to keep going. Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate Media Podcast. I'm Chris Anderson, your host. I'm going to dive into a story from Napoleon Hill. You might know him. He's the author of Think and Grow Rich, and there's a story within that that he tells that I want you to hear today, because I know how it can be. I know the difficulty, the frustration, the insurmountable weight that's on your shoulders as a father trying to build their business to support the family, support others and continue to grow, and you feel like you haven't had any breakthroughs. You know you've been doing the work, you've been putting in the work and putting the effort behind it, but it just hasn't shown much fruit, hasn't shown much results that you've been looking for. Why don't you give up? And I want you to hear this story that I think can hopefully, you know, give you a little bit oomph to keep going today. So this is Three Feet From Gold story by Napoleon Hill, and it goes like this One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.

Speaker 2: 1:53

Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another. An uncle of RU Darby was caught by the gold fever in the gold rush days and he went west to dig and grow rich. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard but his lust for gold was definite. After weeks of labor he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore.

Speaker 2: 2:26

Now he needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the strike. They got together money for the needed machinery. Had it shipped, the uncle and Darby went back to work with the mine. The first car of ore was mined and shipped to Smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado. A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.

Speaker 2: 2:58

Down with the drills, up with the hopes of Darby and uncle. Then something happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared. They had come to the end of the rainbow and the pot of gold was no longer there. They drilled on desperately, trying to pick up the vein again, all to no avail. Finally they decided to quit. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars and took the train back home. Some junk men are dumb, but not this one. He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed because the owners were not familiar with fault lines. His calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from where the Darby's had stopped drilling. That is exactly where it was found.

Speaker 2: 3:53

That junk man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up. Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of RU Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors because of their faith in him. Long afterwards, mr Darby recouped his losses many times over when he made the discovery that desire can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance, remembering that he lost a huge fortune because he stopped three feet from gold. Darby profited by the experience in his chosen work by the simple method of saying to himself I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say no when I ask them to buy insurance. Darby is one of a small group of fewer than 50 men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his stickability to the lessons he learned from his quittability in the gold mining business.

Speaker 2: 4:53

Before success comes in any man's life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and perhaps some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than 500 of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach.

Speaker 2: 5:27

So I hope that story can resonate with you a little bit, because I know I've been in these positions where you know you feel like you're doing the right thing, you've had some success and then maybe had some setbacks or maybe just can't break through that next level, whatever it might be, and and things just seem insurmountable. Well, I hope this story gives you a little bit more motivation, find wise counsel to help you break through that next spot. First Two remember that, at least in my perspective, these are almost like tests. Do you quit or do you keep pushing through to get to the next level? Most people quit and they never get to the next level. But those who can persevere through it, continue to learn, continue to put in the effort, can break through because they didn't give up.

Speaker 2: 6:12

And then three remember you know failure isn't final unless you quit. So as long as you're continuing to learn, invest, take chances, put in the work, things will build and grow. But you have to know when to pivot. You know they were three feet off. They quit Darby and his uncle. They quit instead of seeking help. And then, when they got to help figuring out what they needed to do in action, wise and moving their spot. So I hope you can take the story, I hope you can think on it, share this with someone else who might be struggling in their business or just frustrated with their business position, and let them know they're not alone. Let them know that there's help out there and that they're so close to that next level. But until next time, continue to go out there, elevate your lives, elevate your brands and we'll talk to you again soon.

Speaker 1: 7:02

Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. See you in the next episode.