Posts

Three Feet from Gold

/in /by

Given the current economic roller coaster, does it feel like you are taking two steps backwards for every one step forward? Have you ever felt like quitting? Even though you knew you were on the right track?

Once a highly coveted and symbol of ultimate success, the job of CEO today has been tarnished in the public’s opinion by the news stories of corporate scandals and executive excess.

Napoleon Hill, wrote “Many successful people have found opportunities in failure and adversity that they could not recognize in more favorable circumstances.” It is through perseverance, and definiteness of purpose that the truly talented CEOs of today will identify those opportunities and reach even greater heights of success than ever imagined.

[wcm_restrict]There are many people today who compare our current crisis to the Great Depression during the 20’s and 30’s that almost brought total collapse to our economic stability. Yet from the Great Depression emerged many of today’s greatest success stories. It was the leaders of that time who recognized the opportunities, seized them and reached unparalleled levels of success. Many of them credited reading the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill as the tool that gave them the inspiration and courage to keep going.

In was in 1908, when a young Napoleon Hill was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in the world, to embark on more than a twenty year journey studying the principles of success. His book, Think and Grow Rich, was originally published in 1937 and has since sold over 100 million copies around the world. It is widely recognized as the foremost treatise on success ever written. In researching the book, Hill had the opportunity to interview the most successful titans of his time. In addition, he also interviewed people who had given up, people who had failed, in order to truly understand the elements of success.

Considered the grandfather of personal development and financial wisdom, Napoleon Hill was the first to coin such ageless principles as “Definiteness of Purpose,” “Pay Yourself First,” the benefits of a “Mastermind”, and even the “Law of Attraction,” which he wrote about as early as 1919.

Even though Think and Grow Rich continues to sell well today and continues to give hope and inspiration to its readers, Don Green, CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation recognized an opportunity to update its core principles with modern examples. Think and Grow Rich – Three Feet from Gold is the product of Don’s vision, a message of hope and motivation given life through the stories of successful companies and their leaders from today’s economic environment. You may not recognize their names, but you will recognize their companies or their brands… for they put their customers, their employees and their companies before their personal quest for fame.

What unfolds in Three Feet from Gold is an invaluable equation for personal success based on advice from these incredible men and women. The Personal Success Equation is:

((Passion + Talent) x Association x Action) + Faith = Your Personal Success Equation

By combining your passion with your talent and then finding the right association you will position yourself for great success. However, to realize that success you must take decisive action and at all time have faith that you are on the right path.

They not only share how they applied this Success Equation in their own lives to achieve great success but more importantly, what they said to themselves when the chips were down. What kept them going when others would have given up. It is that moment in time, when you keep moving forward, that truly defines great success.

Their advice is sincere, generous and above all… road tested by their own successful life stories.

Just a few of their golden nuggets that provide a road map for the successful CEOs of tomorrow are:

Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, Inc. said, “Focus on your people more than your profits.” And “stop overplanning.”

“A true leader will take others where they would not have gone by themselves,” was the advice of Drayton McLane, Jr. owner of the Houston Astros.

Debbie Fields said, “Good enough, never is.”

John St. Augustine said, “People need to replace their wishbone with a backbone.”

James Amos said, “The margin between success and failure is a very thin line. History is the past. Base decisions on the future.”

John Hope Bryant said, “Ten percent of your attitude is determined by what life hands you and ninety percent by how you choose to respond.”

And returning to the ageless wisdom of Napoleon Hill, “Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.”

Don’t quit, you are just three feet from gold![/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

Hi there! This article is available for free. Login or register as a StrategyDriven Personal Business Advisor Self-Guided Client by:

Subscribing to the Self Guided Program - It's Free!


 
[/wcm_nonmember]

About the Authors

Sharon L. Lechter, co-author of Three Feet from Gold is co-author of the #1 New York Times and international bestseller Rich Dad, Poor Dad and 15 other books in the Rich Dad series of books. Sharon works with the Napoleon Hill Foundation to promote Napoleon Hill’s principles for success around the globe. In January 2008, President Bush appointed Sharon to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. She serves on the National Boards of Childhelp and Women Presidents’ Organization and speaks internationally as an advocate for financial literacy. To read Sharon’s complete biography, click here.

Greg S. Reid is an author, speaker, filmmaker, CEO of several successful corporations, and co-author of Three Feet from Gold. His prior books include The Millionaire Mentor (2003) and Positive Impact co-authored with Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. In addition, he is co-founder of Personal Development magazine and his work has appeared in more than 30 books. Reid has been featured on local and nationally syndicated programs across the country. He also speaks frequently at corporations, universities, and charitable organizations. To read Greg’s complete biography, click here.