Darby stands as illustration to both failure in the face of temporary defeat and success in the face of persistence. In the end, we are able to look back with Napoelon Hill and learn how each instance had an effect on Darby’s ultimate financial success.
“After Mr. Hill described to Mr. Darby the power the girl unwittingly used on his uncle, Darby quickly reassessed his thirty years as a life insurance salesman, and frankly acknowledged that his success in that field was due, in large part, to the lesson he had learned from the child.
Darby pointed out: “every time a potential customer tried to bow me out, without buying, I saw that child standing there in the old mill, her big eyes glaring in defiance, and I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to make this sale.’ The majority of all the sales I have made were made after people had said ‘No’.”
Darby did acknowledge his mistake in having stopped only three feet from gold; “but,” he said, “that experience was a blessing in disguise. It taught me to keep on keeping on, no matter how hard the going may be, a lesson I needed to learn before I could succeed in anything.”
Work Through Your Obstacles
To be sure, that is a lesson that must be learned by all who will succeed and become wealthy. Perhaps with our help you’ll be able to forgo learning the lesson the ‘hard way’ like Darby did, and learn it instead from these pages. Either way, as I’ve said before, working through obstacles and temporary defeat is empowering; once you know you can succeed by pushing forward, success is quick to come.
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
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
It’s no different to seeing the positive in every outcome. Spirituality teaches us that there is no right or wrong, only polar opposites to any outcome. One then just has to choose which serves them the best.
If a negative outcome occurs, you should embrace it for with this negative outcome, is its polar opposite, if you’re willing to look.
“If a negative outcome occurs, you should embrace it for with this negative outcome, is its polar opposite, if you’re willing to look.”
What a fabulous statement, I love it. I will remember that next time I have an argument with my husband.
“Temporary defeat”. What great language. Whatever life challenge we go through, just remember, it’s only temporary.
Lina Nguyen´s last blog ..Richard Branson Business School: A day visit
Hi Sean,
I think sometimes what we think is our biggest failure can be the springboard to our biggest success, if we can only realize it at the time. For example, when Michael Jordan was kicked off his varsity basketball team; he did go home and cry. But, he also resolved to become the best basketballer he could be. History shows that he succeeded.
I don’t think defeat has to crush us. I think if we can keep our head through the difficult times we can learn the lesson that we need to learn and move on to greater success.