Three Feet From Gold

In the beginning of, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill tells a story about a gentleman named R. U. Darby. In the story Darby shared with Hill, the defining moment in his life when he finally understood the power of persistence.

Here’s the story:

During the gold rush, Darby's uncle ventured to Colorado and struck gold. In order to acquire mining equipment to extract more gold, he returned home to Maryland to secure financing and enlisted Darby's assistance. Once funding was obtained, they returned to Colorado to work the mine.

Initially, things were promising. The first gold discoveries were smelted, indicating the potential for one of Colorado's richest mines. A few more such discoveries could free Darby and his uncle from debt and make them wealthy.

Needless to say, they were optimistic as they continued drilling. However, the unimaginable occurred. The gold ore vein they had been successfully drilling suddenly vanished. Confident they would find more gold, Darby and his uncle persisted, but with no luck.

Each day of drilling further indebted them, eventually leading to their decision to quit. They sold the drilling equipment to a nearby junkman and returned home.

The junkman, skeptical of the mine's lack of gold, hired a mining engineer for a professional assessment before dismantling the machinery for sale. The engineer's findings were astonishing. The gold ore vein Darby and his uncle had been seeking was just three feet away from where they had stopped drilling!

The junkman resumed drilling in that exact spot and discovered a fortune in gold. JUST THREE FEET AWAY!

The junkman ultimately extracted millions of dollars worth of gold from Darby's former mine, because he wisely recognized his own limitations and sought expert advice.