The Inspiration

In 1937, Napoleon Hill wrote a masterpiece that remains a bestseller today. Think and Grow Rich continues to inspire readers who want to learn the success strategies used by leaders and experts throughout the world. The lives of some many people have been improved after reading the book that it continues to sell more than a million copies every year.

The fable, Three Feet from Gold , reiterates the timeless lessons taught by Napoleon Hill. Its title, Three Feet from Gold, comes from a story told in the first chapter of Hill's classic. As Hill tells the story, "An uncle of my friend R. U. Darby was caught by 'gold fever' and he went west to Colorado to dig and grow rich. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth."

The uncle did find gold. He rushed home to tell about his good fortune. After gathering funds and assistance from his family, friends, and neighbors, he returned to his claim to mine the fortunes that lay beneath the surface.

"Down went the drills. Up went the hopes. . ." Unfortunately, the gold disappeared. Darby and his uncle continued, desperately, to dig, attempting to pick up the vein again, but to no avail. The uncle was soon overwhelmed with frustration and quit working the claim.

Defeated, they sold the machinery to a local junk man for a few hundred dollars and took the next train heading east.

Realizing the mine had once produced treasure, the junk man sought the counsel of a local engineer. The engineer explained how the fault line can separate a vein of gold. He suggested that if the junk man returned to the mine and dug a mere three feet from where the first discovery was made, he would find more precious ore.

With pick in hand, the junk man followed the expert's advice and hit one of the greatest gold stores the nation has ever seen.

In Hill's words, "The junkman took millions of dollars in ore from the mine because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up."

Darby eventually recovered from his own losses from the mine bust, but he did not forget about the huge fortune he and his uncle had missed simply because they gave up too soon and didn't seek expert advice. Darby said, "I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say no when I ask them to buy insurance."

Darby ended up selling over a million dollars in life insurance each year for most of his career. He realized that before one can succeed, he or she will face defeat, even failure. Most people quit, but the truly successful push past defeat to realize their dreams.

Taking to heart the lesson that "more gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been take from the earth," Hill went on a quest to interview his era's top leaders to discover what attitudes and behaviors they applied to their achievements. Speaking with people such as Edison, Bell, and Ford, Hill discovered a set of principles (referred to as "gold nuggets") that were printed in book form. From these interviews, Hill established the modern movement in personal development.

Teaming with the Napoleon Hill Foundation, Greg Reid is blessed to carry on the tradition by inviting a new group of leaders to be interviewed. These "movers and shakers" share the principles, values, and attitudes they use to continue drilling toward their goals. More important, their insights will inspire readers to work through adversities and setbacks, to make sure they don't quit—three feet from gold.