Napoleon Hill doesn’t tell us much about the fate of the Uncle, but he does continue the story of R.U. Darby and his ultimate success. How did this failure turn his life around and build wealth? By learning from his mistake, and learning the principles of the secret.
“Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that desire can be transmuted into gold. That discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.
“Remembering that he lost a huge fortune all because he stopped three feet from gold, Darby turned that experience to his advantage in his newly chosen profession; his method was simple—Darby repeatedly told himself, “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”
“Darby was one of a small group in the first part of the 1900’s, a group of less than fifty men, to sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owed his determination and success to the lesson he learned from his hastiness to quit in the gold mining business.”
Definite Thought
Finally, Darby learned the power of definite thought—the same power Edwin C Barnes knew and used to build his future, and his fortune, with Thomas Edison. Had Darby known that power of definite thought and definite purpose when he went mining, his wealth may have come years sooner. You have at least this elemental knowledge now and that small bit of information is power; power that you, too, can solidify and translate into tangible wealth.
I will see you back here Monday and Thursday every week for the continuation of the Mindset Mastery series.
Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 – 2008
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
It’s great to know that Darby did learn from his mistakes and go on to enjoy enormous success in his lifetime. It gives me hope that I, too, can recover from some of my failures and have the success that I dream of.
I guess it all comes down to how well I learn and apply the powerful information that Napoleon Hill and many others like him share. I look forward to mastering these lessons for success.
Throughout this series of posts I’ve been wondering is this the same Derby that married Joan?
Derby learned from his mistake, and learned the principles of the secret. Feedback feedback feedback. That is what we always have to be aware of. We should develop the habit of reflecting on where we are, where we have come from and where we are going. Perhaps even more importantly why we are going there. In every system aimed at perfection and continuous improvement the feedback and review process is critical.
Did Derby really make a mistake? At the time it was the right decision for him. I never want to be like Derby and find out that I stopped just a momnet too soon. It’s like checking the lottery number after you’ve forgotten to buy a ticket.