Sean Rasmussen

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

Success comes most often in life when you are ready for it; now, that means when you are really ready, which is not always when you think you are ready. Barnes’ success came at that point in time when he was really ready, after he had taken steps to situate himself in the path of success.

“Psychologists have noted, accurately, that when a person is truly ready for something, it will appear.

“Edwin Barnes was ready for a business association with Edison; moreover, he was determined to stay ready until he got what he was after.

“He did not say to himself, “Ah, what’s the use? Maybe I should just try to get a salesman’s job.” But, he did say, “I came here to go into business with Thomas Edison, and I will be his business partner if it takes the rest of my life.” And He meant it! What a different story all people would have to tell if only they would adopt a definite purpose, and stand by that purpose until it had time to become an all-consuming, yet powerful, obsession!

“Maybe young Barnes did not know it at the time, but his bulldog determination, his persistence in maintaining and focusing on a single desire, destined him to mow down all opposition, and bring him the opportunity he was seeking.”

Persistence will lead to fulfilled goals

You have already put yourself in the path of success by coming here and reading the Mindset Mastery ebook or posts; and as long as you stay by your definite purpose to become wealthy with our help, and persist until you reach your goal, you will succeed to know great wealth and comfort. There is no doubt in that, once you know how to proceed towards 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

It’s important to know that no one is saying that knowing and utilizing the secret, or following the thirteen principles and being definite in thought, means that you will get rich quick; your life can change in a relatively short period of time, but nothing worthwhile happens overnight. Like Barnes, building wealth takes initiative and planning, and a healthy dose of patience and follow-through.

“Barnes did not instantly become Edison’s partner at his first interview. He did get a chance to work in the Edison offices, at a very nominal wage, doing work that was unimportant to Thomas Edison; but that work was most important to Barnes, because it gave him an opportunity to display his “merchandise” where his intended “partner” could see it.

“Months went by. Apparently nothing happened to bring the coveted goal which Edwin Barnes had set up in his mind as his definite major purpose. But something important was happening in Barnes’ mind. He was constantly intensifying his desire to become the business associate of Edison.”

The First Step To Wealth Creation

Putting yourself in line for success and wealth creation is an essential first step; nothing fruitful can happen if you do not take that first step, and place yourself in the path of possibility.

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