Sean Rasmussen

I suppose there are lots of words you could use to describe what Napoleon Hill calls definite purpose. A very applicable term would be persistence. Persistence is a key to financial success.

“How many people out there today have stopped just inches away from their goal because of some roadblock, some hurdle? How many people give up on fantastic business ideas because the first bank they approached turned down their loan application? How different would the lives of those people be if, rather than accept defeat first-off, they steeled themselves to rejection, thanked the Bank President for his effort, and instead sought an alternative investment route—Investment Capitalists, private investors, local Community Development programs—the list of possibilities goes on and on.

How often have we heard stories from the entertainment industry about the singer or actor living in near-poverty, packing their bags for home who stayed just one more day, and on that day got the fateful call from the record executive or casting call that catapulted them to stardom, fame, and fortune?

“Before success is found in any person’s life, that person is sure to be faced with more than his or her share of temporary defeat, and quite possibly some failure. When defeat overtakes somebody the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. And that is exactly what the majority of people do.”

Temporary Defeat

It’s true. Most people just quit in the face of what seems like hopeless temporary defeat; in fact, most of us are probably guilty of doing just that. The lucky among us learn early and limit the effect failure has on us. Those are the ones who build wealth early in life, but regardless of age, it is never too late to turn your financial life around. Any man or woman can be rich in their lifetime.

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

The next of Napoleon Hill’s anecdotes is presented as a direct contrast to the definite thought, purpose, and determination of Edwin C Barnes. He calls this story “Three Feet From Gold”; most of us can see quite a lot of our past limited successes within the telling of this story.

“One of the most common reasons people fail is that they quit when faced with temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another. What follows is a case in point.

“An uncle of R.U. Darby was caught by the “gold fever” in the days of the great gold-rush, and 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 a pick and a shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite.

“After weeks of labor, he was rewarded with the discovery of the elusive shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, went back to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, and told his relatives and a few neighbors about the “strike.” Together, they raised the money for the needed machinery and had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.”

So far in this tale we’ve seen that Darby and Uncle had the foresight to place themselves in a presumably profitable spot, but Napoleon Hill indicates that the uncle lacked a definite thought; he has thus far failed to put the required definite thinking into the project. Will the men be able to succeed without having taken this essential first step? We’ll see if he is able to pull himself out of it.

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

Have you figured it out? What was it that guaranteed Barnes’ ultimate success with Thomas Edison? Was it his credentials? He didn’t have any. Was it his professional appearance? He’d just traveled as a stow-away on a freight train. Hill learned the key element from Thomas Edison himself.

“Just what the young Edwin Barnes said to Thomas Edison at that first meeting was far less important than what he thought. Edison, himself, said so! It couldn’t have been the young man’s appearance that earned him his start in the Edison office; that was definitely against him. It was what he thought that counted.

“If the significance of this statement could be conveyed to every person who reads it, there would be no need for the remainder of this book.”

The Power Of Barnes’ Thoughts

Edison recognized that something more was going on in the mind of Barnes other than simply earning a paycheck. Edison recognized that a thoughtful determination drove the young man, and that was what set him apart from all others who came knocking on Edison’s door looking for a job. As Napoleon Hill says here, the significance of the power of Barnes’ thoughts cannot be underestimated in the quest for 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

Are you skeptical? Is the thought of one all-powerful secret to wealth creation leaving you in doubt? Let Hill’s long list of well-known, wealthy and successful men speak to the effectiveness of creating wealth through his identified principles and, ultimately, the all-encompassing ‘secret‘.

“While I was performing the twenty year task of research, which I had undertaken at Andrew Carnegie’s request, I analyzed hundreds of well known men, many of whom admitted that they had accumulated their vast fortunes through the aid of the Andrew Carnegie secret; among these men were:

The Mentors

“HENRY FORD, WILLIAM WRIGLEY JR., JOHN WANAMAKER, JAMES J. HILL, GEORGE S. PARKER…GEORGE EASTMAN, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JOHN W. DAVIS, ELBERT HUBBARD, WILBUR WRIGHT, WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN, DR. DMTID STARR JORDAN, J. ODGEN ARMOUR, CHARLES M. SCHWAB, HARRIS F. WILLIAMS, DR. FRANK GUNSAULUS, DANIEL WILLARD, KING GILLETTE, RALPH A. WEEKS, JUDGE DANIEL T. WRIGHT, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, THOMAS A. EDISON…F. W. WOOLWORTH, COL. ROBERT A. DOLLAR, EDWARD A. FILENE, EDWIN C. BARNES, ARTHUR BRISBANE, WOODROW WILSON…DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL…CLARENCE DARROW”

The list goes on and on, but this sampling of notable men should give you at least some small proof that this secret is an effective cornerstone, and essential element in building wealth.

One Secret To Their Success

Note, however, that Napoleon Hill does not suggest that Andrew Carnegie personally taught this secret to each of these men (although among them there are some who learned the secret from him). These are men who were identified as great successes and wealthy individuals. That is why they were chosen as subjects to study in order to uncover the secret and the thirteen principles elemental to using it. These men all had certain aspects in common that boiled down to the one secret to their success.

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

There are some basic things worth knowing about the secret to wealth creation, as Napoleon Hill discovered. He talks about the secret and its universal availability to all people in his original forward.

“A peculiar thing about this secret is that those who once acquire it and use it find themselves literally swept on to success, with but little effort, and they never again submit to failure! If you doubt this, study the names of those who have used it, wherever they have been mentioned, check their records for yourself, and be convinced. “There is no such thing as something for nothing! “The secret to which I refer cannot be had without a price, although the price is far less than its value. It cannot be had at any price by those who are not intentionally searching for it. It cannot be given away, it cannot be purchased for money, for the reason that it comes in two parts. One part is already in possession of those who are ready for it.”

Wealth Creation Secret

Hill is basically saying two things here:

1) the secret to wealth creation is not overly complicated, and is within the reach of anybody, regardless of wealth, handicap, education, or location,

and

2) obtaining and utilizing the secret requires effort on the part of the seeker; you won’t get rich sitting by waiting for an opportunity to come your way, you have to take an active role in your own wealth creation.

Hill doesn’t present this to scare away the reader—exactly the opposite; he puts this informational tidbit upfront so that you can prepare yourself for some worthwhile effort, but also realize that wealth is certainly within your reach.

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