Sean Rasmussen

Persistence is one way to describe that staying power that wealthy, successful men and women have, that power that takes them that critical step past temporary defeat. To illustrate the power of persistence, Napoleon Hill tells us this story of one brave and persistent little girl.

[Note: As you read, keep in mind that this incident took place in the early 1900's before the Civil Rights Movement in the United States; all things, at that time, were certainly not equal.]

“Shortly after R.U. Darby earned his degree from the “University of Hard Knocks,” and had determined to profit from his experience in the gold mining business, he was fortunate enough to be present to witness an incident that proved to him that “No” does not necessarily mean no.

One afternoon Darby was helping his uncle grind wheat in an old fashioned mill. The uncle operated a large farm where a number of colored sharecrop farmers lived. Quietly, the door was opened, and a small colored child, the daughter of a tenant, walked in and took her place near the door.

The uncle looked up, saw the child, and barked at her roughly, “what do you want?”

Meekly, the child replied, “My mammy say send her fifty cents.”

“I’ll not do it,” the uncle retorted, “Now you run on home.”

“Yas sah,” the child replied. But she did not move.

The uncle went on working, too busy to notice that the child did not leave. When he looked up and saw her still standing there, he yelled at her, “I told you to go on home! Now go, or I’ll take a switch to you.”

The little girl said “yas sah,” but she did not budge an inch.

The uncle dropped a sack of grain he was about to pour into the mill hopper, picked up a band of wood, and started toward the child with an expression meant to drive fear into her.”

Being Persistent

This is the point where most of us would relent and let the old Uncle keep the fifty cents. Be sure to join us in our next post to find out how this little girl with persistence and a simple word triumphed over “the Man”.

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

While researching this book, Napoleon Hill interviewed over 500 highly successful men; men that have now gone on to become icons of capitalistic history and success. As part of his research, he talked with them about facing temporary defeat head-on, and about what delineates success and failure.

“More than five hundred of the most successful men in United States history, icons of American Capitalism and success, told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point when defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a swindler with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great pleasure in tripping a person when success is just within reach.”

Failure is a master manipulator—but only if your let it win by giving in to temporary defeat.

More Then One Road

The men Hill interviewed may have found success in that step beyond defeat, but their success was not only rooted in the better business turn around the corner. These men also found success because working through adversity and possible defeat teaches you something; it teaches you that there are more roads to success, and that if you have that definiteness of purpose, if your persist in your goals, you will find a road that leads you on to success…to wealth! And you will also learn that you can do whatever you put your mind to when you back your thought with determination. From that point on, every roadblock is easier to overcome because you’ve learned two essential lessons:

1. Temporary defeat is not failure—it’s TEMPORARY! You can succeed, you just have to find another way, and

2. You personally possess the skills and brain power to seek alternate routes to success and wealth creation

Now that’s some powerful knowledge indeed.

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

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

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

Picking up where we left off with Darby and his Uncle, let’s see what happens next.

“The first car of ore was mined and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear all debts. Then they would make a killing in big profits.

“The drills went down as the hopes of Darby and his Uncle excitedly went up! Then something happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was gone! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again–to no avail.”

Journey To Wealth Creation

These are the times that every one of us is destined to face on our journey to wealth creation. These times are the true test of our ‘metal’ so to speak. And what you choose to do in times like these is what separates you—makes you the one who succeeds to go on to build great wealth, or makes you fail and continue to struggle in financial stress.

Let’s remember what Napoleon Hill said was one of the biggest reasons people fail to get rich…”…they quit when faced with temporary defeat.”

So did Darby and Uncle let temporary defeat put an end to their success? We’ll find out soon enough…

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