A few days before my twentieth birthday, an odd chain of events guided me to what remains to this day, one of the most influencial books I've ever read: Napoleon Hill's "Think And Grow Rich."
Regarded as an absolute classic, it proved itself - providing direction whose impact could never be overstated.
And near 16 years later, it's interesting to reflect how certain nuggets of wisdom found then re-present themselves through the life experience since - observing different ways certain themes, philosophies, and stories ring all-the-more true, in context of a broaded wealth of direct experience to measure them against.
One story in particular whose message I've come to a fascinating discovery of lately, is that of the "Three Feet From Gold" tale...
One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.
An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the gold fever in the gold-rush days, 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 pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite.
After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the “strike.” They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.
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 the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.
Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again— all to no avail.
Finally, they decided to QUIT.
They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some “junk” men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines.” His calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from where the Darbys had stopped drilling! That is exactly where it was found!
The “Junk” man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.
Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of R. U. Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in doing so.
Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that desire can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.
Remembering that he lost a huge fortune, because he stopped three feet from gold, Darby profited by the experience in his chosen work, by the simple method of saying to himself, “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”
Darby is one of a small group of fewer than fifty men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his stickability to the lesson he learned from his quitability in the gold mining business.
Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach.
~Napoleon Hill, from "Think & Grow Rich"
The playing field I've found the truth in this to present itself as of lately:
Music production.
While I've produced on-and-off for 17 years (more off than on), the process has rarely been smooth and easy. The majority the of time, it's been one of non-stop challenges, blocks, and obstacles. The moments of flow have been fucking glorious, though rare.
And even as I've picked up again these past months with an increased focus that has resulted in grasping more and more of the basic building blocks to improve my workflow, it's still very commonplace to lack the idealized inspiration that fuels extended studio sessions into the wee hours of the morning. The early phases of any project typically aren't the most exciting. And it's more often than not tempting to close up an idea and start over before giving it enough time to properly blossom.
Predictably, sitting down to make music doesn't begin with a huge rush of inspiration. And navigating the first steps - whether it be finding a good synth sound to work with, piecing together a decent drum pattern as the core, or playing around with melodies until something pops - can feel like fumbling about, producing more uncertainty than confidence. Typically, the inclination to just abandon what's been accomplished so far is greater than the willingness to persist and keep adding to and sculpting that base until it becomes something resembling a well-enough established concept to really begin working with.
And sometimes, it might be better just to start fresh - working through a number of different ideas until catching that one wave with enough power behind it to ride until the end.
Yet, there's been a number of cases lately where I've discovered: *these are those "three feet to gold" moments.
Sometimes a basic, unprocessed drum loop might not be all that great. But with a bit of parallel compression and saturation, it comes to life and gets enough of a punch to kick that inspiration into gear.
Throwing on a simple melody on top... it still might not sound like anything special. Though with a little of the right reverb and perhaps just one additional percussive element - it transforms.
Repeatedly, I've been finding how persisting just another three feet, something average can be morphed into something captivating.
And carrying on just a few more steps, it becomes clear:
The goldmine was there the whole time. It just needed some primary surveying to find the right starting point, and a certain minimum of time and energy to probe deeper to uncover the fundamental elements with which to fuse into the workable formula for extracting the gold.
So, now the question becomes:
What goldmine are you sitting on?
What process must you undergo to persist that three feet, in the extraction of your treasure...?
Hey @rok
This is a universal truth. I learned that lesson very early on. In fact, I would say my father first planted the seed with a saying that his father passed on to him:
Now, whenever I get an idea that I can visualize being incredible where it just to come to fruition, to reach maturity, I think of it as a guaranteed success.
That doesn't mean I will succeed, it just means I believe I will succeed. That's the only mentality, as I've come to learn, that I can work with
Doubt and uncertainty result from lack of vision, not temporary setbacks, obstacles, and barriers.
The key to success is a clear, focused vision, and the drive to keep the ball rolling until it finally crosses the goal line.
Working on projects that we believe in is the goldmine that we are sitting on
Because failure is the greatest teacher. We only learn by making mistakes, and learning how to do things better. We cannot learn by philosophizing in our armchair, we must go out into the world and test our ideas out.
Then Nature, the Cosmos and Intelligence are given the space to manifest any hyper-dimensional forms that the world is ready for.
The bigger the idea, the more ambitious the project, the more satisfying it is to encounter failure, to have our expectations of success shattered, only to be rebuilt with more solid foundations, and toughened resolves.
Great post my friend. I'm sure you must be cooking up some mean beats these days. One love xx
Hae-Joo
🙌💖
Miss you buddy! Hope everything is going well for you! (Aside from this year's crypto bear market of course!)
Probably a good thing that the Universe is cooling everybody's jets so we don't forget about the real world and our real lives... Yes, technology and the future are unstoppable, but we don't need to get on a rocket to the moon to get there ^^'
I'm just speculating, you might be so smart that you've actually moved into your dream condo by now!
Either way I always love your thoughts and our interactions brother <3
I've been going crazy with the beats lately too! Really exciting stuff :D
Think one day we might exchange production tips over discord or email? :3
I've been learning that delayed gratification combined with patience and knowing what is coming our way leads to a build-up of excitement that when everything comes into alignment we just get the most orgasmic high
Kinda sad to say, though the condo is moreless a dead dream at this point. Needed more like a 6x portfolio increase from January’s peak, though sitting on about a 70% “loss” instead. Ah well. Proved the Buddhist point of attachment and desire leading to suffering - wasted alot of time and energy fixated on that which surely coulda been more wisely invested. Nonetheless, live and learn... still working on the delayed gratification and patience pieces, I guess. :-)
Hit me up on Discord anytime - Sivante #1044
Hey @rok
You will definitely get that which your heart desires! I think the Universe just didn't want to make it too easy for you. Otherwise you might not have decided to go back to music and focus on things that really matter to your Soul.
Literally I was in the exact same boat, and learned the exact same lesson... It's funny
There will be some unpredictable event that will make everything possible, and you will be at the top of your game when it happens!
Prepare yourself for all the happiness you deserve my friend! The wait and fear that the gold isn't 3 ft. deeper will make it that much more BLESSED when it you hit that vein!
Love you bro x
Will add you very soon :)
Perhaps. (Or at least that's a good thing to tell ourselves for the time being, lol.)
T'is a good thing in some ways that it didn't happen as planned - probably would have been too much too soon. And there might be other options in different areas that are actually a better fit. Either way, there are still probably some proper foundations to set and character development to undergo prior to arrival at that level. So yeah, there's a perfection to the timing beyond what we can always see at the moment...
Hmm, so inspiring. Sometimes we get into things for the wrong reason and we fail to understand the main purpose for which those things were made. Most people in life aren't where they would have love to be, just because they haven't really known them self's this is why self realization has been my watch word since this year started.
When we actually know our capabilities then, we should know where we fit into in humanity and know what works for us. Take myself for example I'm studying Medical Laboratory Sciences in University of Nigeria not because I ever had passion for it but because of the harsh economic conditions in Nigeria and I was told that if I studied a professional course. I would be successful in life, but I have seen doctors in Nigeria who still beg for food. Because it wasn't there original calling in life.
I'm not disputing the fact that you might not fall in love with what you're doing in time to come but when these things don't work out we tend to get frustrated. We would have done better when we really found our purpose in life. Looking at where you're in life no matter what you've achieved, there seem to be this satisfaction when you achieve what you really wanted to do in life. Many people end up with the wrong spouses because of some of their selfish desires, some others because of their greed and whatsoever. I would be Frank with you even me myself, I entered into steemit because of the funds but it's not working out and I was frustrated at first but you won't blame me cause it's really difficult for me here in Nigeria. But I got to find another purpose which was self discovery and I really appreciate @rok-sivante for his support in my life. He really might not understand the feeling but if you can see this it's from the heart. All these in essence is to find out what works for you and be good to others, because you might not know who is watching, sorry for the break in transmission I went short of data, finally got a Wi-Fi connection in my class today. Please mind my grammatical errors, I would also work on that too.
Thanks at @rok-sivante, I remain my humble self @tobex. Stay blessed 🙏 ✌️❤️
🙏
You're welcome ✌️
This message is very deep, it really have a lot in it. I read the story by Napoleon H and i must say it was really touching. I really felt for the man, what a waste of time and effort and just with little persistent, he could have gotten there. Am also so glad, he learnt a lesson and put the result he got from the lesson into test in another field.
* challenges is bound to come/creep in, holding on is the key. To round it all, i remember i joined steemit when sbd and steem were just 1$, and i never got discouraged but things changed and it went up before this current down time.
* never look at the now, there is surely light at the end of the tunnel. Don't be like the story of the man above, just keep digging and surely you will get to your dream land which is the Gold.
First of all thanks for sharing this book and the story that consists by this book. Truly it's really inspirational because most of the time after point of defeat we tend to lose the patience and we stop that particular work.
Life is full of opportunities if we want to see, otherwise we can find ourselves at losing side. In many cases people failed not because they are not capable, instead many of them willfully loosed hope and never tried once again.
I personally admired how you compared the true lesson of story with your music production life. Every day will not be same and every project will not hold the same enthusiasm. But, we are the driving forces and if we want then for sure we will continue no matter how many times we fail in life.
These type of inspirational stories can really influence us in an good way. The most important part is we have to implement this type of mindset in our life so that we can stood in our path no matter how many times the wave of failure hit us.
Thanks for sharing this post with us and wishing you an great day. Stay blessed. 🙂
Achievement is not by age, At your Twentieth you can be the best, the richest and the most popular, and I wish you the best!!!!👉🎁🎇🎆
@rok-sivante coming across the post is kind of motivation or inspiration. As Darby stopped mining i am in similar situation and can relate the story with current scenario. And coming to question....i am still in dark what kind of gold i am sitting in. With my profesional career already coming to an end so early in life...and falling steem prices...i am standing no where...just floating on hope for some good happening....though i have not given yet...the fight is still on....race against time!
T’is points like these where the classic business wisdom/advice of “multiple streams of income” emerges through direct experience of the opposite...
Currently ,with nothing insight, i m on verge of becoming a full time steemian....and the challenges that will come across...
I actually listened to that book in audio book format but I found out that was an effective way for me to consume and remember written content. I caught myself spacing out too much.
I would say that crypto has always been the goldmine I have been sitting on but my expenses in my daily life are pretty high despite not living what a lot of people would consider a comfortable life. A lot of stuff for me has been bad timing and over the years it is easy to get burnt out looking at this stuff everyday.
Ah! Sometimes your mind is bogged down by so many questions that you seem to have no answers to.. and then you come across a good read and it looks that someone wrote it just for you .. to answer the questions of your wandering mind and pacify your soul..
Thank you @rok-sivante.. it was exactly what I needed right now ..and I am definitely reading this book
I've started writing many books, only to decide they suck and abandon them. I need to remind myself that Twilight made a hundred million dollars and putting out shit is still better than putting out nothing.
I can relate.
Though, perhaps the unfinished works aren’t a bad thing - merely stepping stones on the path, better abandoned. Though ultimately, yeah, there probably does come a point where we just gotta start publishing...
inspiring stories, in the journey of life, the one I understand, we do not have to stop just because of temporary defeat
haha, absolutely no
your rep score gone down. i will be happy to contribute
Wow... You really write beautifully well. For a while, I thought you were a bot. Lol... Bcos I do see ur votes regularly on some of my friends posts. Lol
Didnt know you're for real until I started following up.
Lol. I’d be pretty impressed to come across a bot that can write at the same caliber as I do! :-D
Lol... Thats the point.... I didnt know you write... I just see your votes on these 2 friends posts... I just decided to click on your name like 2 days ago and then saw a full blog of an amazing writer. Hope m not bursting your head. Lol
You're 36? Wow. Definitely not how I envisioned you before lol
I must concur though, this is such a well of wisdom. I am an avid reader, a book nerd even and this has been one of the most empowering books I have read before. I also loved Rich Dads Poor Dads. Some books are just classic like that.
Oh snap. You just called out my shitty math skills! Haha.
No, turning 35 on July 1. Not sure where I got the “16” from. 🤔
Maths hates you lol
Nah, it’s quite surprising, actually - I’ve always been very good with math (98% in high school, as a I recall)... maybe just getting lazy these days... lol
great story @rok-silvante success is your's if you concentrate on your goals without fear of lose ..
means your age is only 20 years old? I always read your post but today I just know your age, it's amazing, you are a success at a young age, I also really want to be like you, but whatever my power is only people who do not have anything, may we be friends?
No. Reread.
ouh yes, I already understand your maximum now, you are amazing post it must be read carefully, it's amazing yes ,,!
Good post 😊
Ha ha. NO.
Thank GOD your rep score has been flagged down into the negative. I would love to contribute, though at this point, my vote won't make any difference. :-D
Hahahaha that's a great scammer..
I don,t support this user..
Dont know what is wrong with that account, is so stubborn, keeps pooping on my feed
I love how much you love shitting on these kinds of guys xD
You and Yahweh would get along like a house on fire xD
Too bad, such comments won’t get you no where . How hard could it be to communicate with the author. Better not comment than your comment getting you in trouble everytime. Have a rethink my friend and take an advice from me cause I walked in your shoes when I started on here but I know much more better now. Honest comments will get you to your promised land on steemit . I wish you luck