October 23 I emceed an event in Anaheim, CA that commemorated the work of Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich. It also marked the launch of a book written by two friends, Greg Reid and Sharon Lechter, Three Feet from Gold.

The first day of the two day included well-known speakers and authors who had been influenced by Think and Grow Rich. I first read the book as a teenager and have reread it several times since. The line up included Mark Victor Hanson, John Gray, John Assaraf, Bob Proctor, T. Harv Ecker and Les Brown. Don Green, the Executive Director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation (http://www.naphill.org/) added his insights, along with a noteworthy panel of the super successful who appeared throughout the new bookThree Feet from Gold.

Napoleon Hill’s classic book Think and Grow Rich was released in 1937. In the past 30 years it has sold more than 30 million copies. It was a landmark work that focused people on the mindset necessary for achieving great success and wealth.

In 1909 Hill met with Andrew Carnegie to interview the titan of industry in an effort to understand the great man’s success. Carnegie was instrumental to Hill’s work in providing introductions and access to some 500 leaders in business and industry. Think and Grow Rich was the distillation of Hill’s findings.

By interviewing the most successful people of his time, Hill uncovered the common principles, practices and mindsets of the truly great.

There is more than a small connection between Think and Grow Rich and Three Free from Gold. Lechter and Reid also interviewed many successful people of our day and included their insights in a novel semi-autobiographical and semi-fictional.

The Three Feet from Gold title comes from a story in Hill’s book is one about a man who had discovered gold and mined it until it seemingly ran out. He came to the end of the vein of precious ore. Discouraged he gave up and sold his equipment to a junk dealer. The junk dealer knew more about gold mining and his advantage of expertise enabled him to find much more gold just three feet from where the previous owner had give up. He continued to mine untold wealth from the same area.

Napoleon Hill’s work was a reminder that we, too, are just three feet from the good things we desire. We don’t always know in which direction our gold lies or when we will eventually reach it, but only persistence and the right mindset will enable us to succeed. Too often we give up just before striking gold.

You may want to read (or reread) Think and Grow Rich this month.  http://www.marksanborn.com/thinkandgrowrich.html

If you’d like to check out Three Feet from Gold, click the link below. http://www.marksanborn.com/threefeetfromgold.html

The objective of both books is to provide you insights and encouragement for continued effort.

And when you’re about to quit, remember: you are closer to success than you think. You might just be three feet from gold.

Thankful

This month we in the U.S. will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I particularly enjoy this Holiday as a way of commemorating our many blessings. There isn’t a day, however, when I’m not thankful for my God, family, friends, work and many blessings. I am also thankful for the people like you who read, listen to and support my work. It is my utmost hope that my words and thoughts enrich your life. Thank you for your support.