Three Feet from Gold

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.

-Napolean Hill (Think and Grow Rich)

Three feet from gold! I love this philosophy. When we are met with defeat, its upto us to decide whether it is temporary or permanent. It is a natural tendency to take the path of least resistence. It is natuaral to want to give up. Bend in the road, becomes end of road only if we fail to take the turn. Remember Horse Vs Rider concept?, thats exactly it. We can either become the horse or the rider. Calvin Coolidge said,

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than Unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

So lets not give up "Three Feet from Gold". Lets continue to "Press On" so that we can get what we really want.

so long!...

-SamCam

Paddle Your Own Canoe

Voyager upon life's sea,
to yourself be true;
and where're your lot may be,
Paddle your own canoe.

Never, though the winds may rave,
falter nor look back,
but upon the darkest wave
leave a shining track.
Nobly dare the wildest storm,
Stem the hardest gale,
Brave of heart and strong of arm,
you will never fail.
When the world is cold and dark,
Keep an end in view,
And toward the beacon mark
Paddle your own canoe.

Every wave that bears you on
To the silent shore,
From its sunny source has gone
To return no more:
Then let not an hour's delay
Cheat you of your due;
But while it is called to-day,
Paddle your own canoe.

If your birth denied you wealth,
Lofty state, and power,
Honest fame and hardy health
Are a better dower;
But if theirs will not suffice,
Golden gain pursue,
And to win the glittering prize,
Paddle your own canoe.

Would you wrest the wreath of fame
from the hand of Fate?
Would you write a deathless name
with the good and great?
Would you bless your fellowmen?
Heart and soul imbue
with the holy task, and then
Paddle your own canoe.

Would you crush the tyrant Wrong,
in the world's fierce fight?
With a spirit brave and strong,
Battle for the Right;
and to break the chains that bind
The many to the few --
To enfranchise slavish mind,
Paddle your own canoe.

Nothing great is lightly won,
nothing won is lost --
Every good deed nobly done,
Will repay the cost;
Leave to Heaven, in humble trust,
all you will to do;
But if you succeed, you must always
Paddle your own canoe.

-Anonymous

If it is to be, it is upto me! I believe the only common denominator to success is the desire to succeed! If we have the desire to succeed, then we will be willing to go through any circumstance and still win. Now how is this related to "paddling your own canoe"? This is how: If we have the desire to succeed, we will not fall for any circumstance, which means we will take personal responsibilty for our success! Yes, we cannot expect someone else to paddle our canoe! We cannot blame somebody else (or something else) for our inability to paddle our canoe! We have to do the work! Voyages on life's sea cannot be fared on someone else's canoe.

If we know we have the ability to succeed, then we must! The one thing that keeps me going is the fact that I know I can succeed in anything I desire! But knowing is one thing, and reminding oneself about it often is another and then acting on it, is very uncommon. Because, just sitting in our canoe means nothing, paddling it in the right direction is what matters! Lets get it going...

so long!...

-SamCam

Extra Mile Story - 2

Many years ago Charles M Schwab's private railroad car was switched onto the siding at his steel plant in Pennsylvania. It was a cold, frosty morning. As he alighted from the car he was met by a young man with a stenographer's notebook in his hands who hurriedly explained that he was a stenographer in the general office of the steel plant, and that he had come down to meet the car to see if Mr.Schwab needed any letters written, or any telegrams sent."Who asked you to meet me?" Mr.Schwab queried. "No one," the young man replied. "I saw the telegram coming through announcing your arrival, so I came down to meet you, hoping I might be of some service."
Think of that! He came down hoping he might be able to find something to do for which he was not paid. And he came on his own initiative without being told.Mr.Schwab thanked him politely for his thoughtfulness, but said he had no need for a stenographer at the moment. After carefully noting the young man's name, he sent the lad back to his work.
That night, when the private car was hitched to the night train for its return to New York City it carried the young stenographer. He had been assigned, at Mr.Schwab's request, for service in New York as one of the steel magnate's assistants. The lad's name was Williams. He remained in Mr.Schwab's services for several years, during which opportunity after opportunity for promotion came to him unsolicited.
It is peculiar how opportunities have a way of trailing the people who make it their business to go the extra mile, but they do very definitely. Finally an opportunity came to young Williams which he could not ignore. He was made president and a large stockholder in one of the largest drug concerns in the U.S - a job which yielded him a fortune greater than his needs.

-Napolean Hill (Master Key to Riches)

All of us have heard that "there is a pot of gold at the end of rainbow". It is true!. But most people do not find it because, the end of rainbow is always at the extra mile. Many people don't even bother to go look for it. There is MAGIC in going the extra mile. When we do more than what we are expected to, we stand out of the crowd! We become double valuable because, one: no one else goes the extra mile, two: we become irreplacable. Folks, like Napolean Hill puts it, going the extra mile is not a pipe dream! It is as real as daylight. Unfortunately, the only way to test its validity is by trying it. When we try it with good attitude we will see our life changing for the better!

so long!...

-SamCam

Extra Mile Story - 1

Many years ago an elderly lady was strolling through a Pittsburgh Department Store, obviously killing time. She passed counter after counter without anyone paying any attention to her. All of the clerks had spotted her as an idle “looker” who had no intention of buying. They made it a point of looking in another direction when she stopped at their counters.
What costly business this neglect turned out to be!
Finally the lady came to a counter that was attended by a young clerk who bowed politely and asked if he might serve her.
“No,” she replied, ”I am just killing time, waiting for the rain to stop so I can go home.”
“Very well, Madam,” the young man smiled, “may I bring a chair for you?” and he brought it without waiting for her answer. After the rain slacked the young man took the old lady by her arm, escorted her to the street and bade her good-bye. As she left she asked him for his card.
Several months later the owner of the store received a letter, asking that this young man be sent to Scotland to take an order for the furnishings of a home. The owner of the store wrote back that he was sorry, but the young man did not work in the house furnishings department. However, he explained that he would be glad to send an “experienced man” to do the job.
Back came a reply, that no one would do except this particular young man. The letters were signed by Andrew Carnegie, and the “house” he wanted furnished was Skibo Castle in Scotland. The elderly lady was Mr. Carnegie’s mother. The young man was sent to Scotland. He received an order for several hundred thousand dollars worth of household furnishings, and with it a partnership in the store. He later became the owner of a half interest in the store.
Verily it pays to go the extra mile.

-Napolean Hill (Master Key to Riches)

Going the extra mile with the right attitude can yield results beyond our imagination. For ex, the young man in the story, did not do it expecting to furnish the Skibo Castle. There was no possible way for him to have made a calculated move. There is something called a "law of increasing returns". This states that you will always reap more than you sow. Now imagine what will happen if we go the extra mile and sow some extra seeds with a spirit of positive mental attitude! With every extra step, every extra effort we make a deposit in God's bank and the interest rate there is HUGE. Remember, the only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little 'extra'. So lets be 'extra'ordinary by going the extra mile!

so long!...

-SamCam

Give more, get more

The Habit of going the extra mile

• What is going the extra mile? It means rendering of more and better service than that for which one is paid, and giving it in a positive mental attitude.
• Every living creature below the intelligence of man is forced, by Nature’s handiwork, to apply this principle in order to survive. Man may choose to ignore this principle, but he cannot do so and at the same time enjoy the fruits of enduring success.
• Advantages of going the extra mile:
  1. The habit brings the individual to the favorable attention of those who can and will provide opportunities for self-advancement.
  2. It tends to make one indispensable, in many different human relationships, and it therefore enables him to command more than average compensation for personal services.
  3. It leads to mental growth and to physical skill and perfection in many forms of endeavor, thereby adding to one’s earning capacity.
  4. It protects one against the loss of employment when employment is scarce, and places him in a position to command the choicest of jobs.
  5. It enables one to profit by the law of contrast, since the majority of people do not practice the habit.
  6. It leads to the development of a positive, pleasing mental attitude, which is essential for enduring success.
  7. It tends to develop a keen, alert imagination because it is a habit which inspires one continuously to seek new and better ways of rendering service.
  8. It develops the important quality of personal initiative.
  9. It develops self-reliance and courage.
  10. It serves to build the confidence of others in one’s integrity.
  11. It aids in the mastery of the destructive habit of procrastination.
  12. It develops definiteness of purpose, insuring one against the common habit of aimlessness.

- Napolean Hill(Master key to riches)

Preparedness and opportunity always meet in the extra mile - some people call it luck!. Remember, there is a reason why Napolean hill put the word 'habit' in the heading. If we go the extra mile once, we will reap rewards for going the extra mile, but that is nothing compared to the reward that we will reap by making it a habit and doing it consistently. In the same book, Mr. Hill quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson "If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put God in your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the payment is withholden, the better for you; for compound interest on compound interest is the rate and usage of this exchequer." WOW! It is so true! . Remember this, there is no traffic in the extra mile. That is what is referred to as the 'law of contrast' above. I believe that there is a bank that has unlimited money in an account with your name and this bank is located in the extra mile and God is its owner (btw, in God's bank there are no ATM's, and there is only one branch!). So, Why wait? Lets go withdraw some of that money!

So long!...

-SamCam

PS: In the next coming posts, I will quote you stories of people who went the extra mile and reaped harvest beyond imagination.

PPS: Your comments are my fuel!

Thought and Character

• Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruit; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
• Thought in the mind hath made us.
  What we are by thought was wrought and built.
  If a man's mind hath evil thought,
  pain comes on him as comes the wheel the ox behind.
  If one endure in purity of thought,
  Joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.
• A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts.
• Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state. But in his weakness and degradation he is foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition and search diligently for the law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues.
• Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.

What you read above are my notes from a book called 'As a Man Thinketh' by James Allen. When I read this book, I thought every line was worth underlining/taking notes from. Everything in this world starts with a thought. Thoughts are like seeds, they grow into results if they are properly culivated in the right environment. It is true for both good and bad thoughts. Everybody is prone to having both of them. The key for success is to have more good thoughts (that will blossom into action and bore results as the fruit) than bad thoughts. I found a great way to cultivate the habit of having good thoughts. In order for this to work, first off we need to understand that everybody has bad thoughts at somepoint of time or the other. Even the noblest of the noble, whom you might have a high regard for, have bad thoughts spring up once in a while and catch them off guard. Thats just the way it is. Understanding that it is not just you that have bad thoughts will help you easily overcome it. Second, we also need to understand that, though our brain is a highly powerful computer(which is an understatement) that is capable of doing 20,000 trillion calculations per second, we cannot have two thoughts at the same time. Which means that you cannot have good thoughts and bad thoughts at the same time. That is a boon! Because, when I have a bad thought about anything, I can easily force myself to stop thinking about bad things and start thinking about good things. This simple strategy can rock our world in a very positive way. One last thing, positive thoughts come from God, and we all know where the negative thoughts come from! so lets work hard on increasing the positive (thought) differential.

so long!..

-SamCam

How to build confidence

1. Be a front seater. Sitting up front builds confidence. Practice it. From now on make it a rule to sit as close to the front as you can. - Have you ever been to a meeting and seen people fill in from the back? It happens all the time at work. Have you also seen that all the people in leadership roles some how tend to fill in from the front? Well, isn't there a relation here folks? Try sitting up front from now on at any meetings you attend (not at movie theater ofcourse!;) ) and see what it does to your self-image. I don't like seeing through peoples heads. I kinda loose track of what is happening up front and start focussing on the hair styles of people, if I sit at the back. May be its just me..
2. Practice making eye contact. You say nothing about yourself when you avoid making eye contact. Aim your eyes right at the other person’s eyes. It not only gives you confidence. It wins you confidence, too. - I have been guilty of this too. But I have made a habit to look at peoples eyes when I am talking to them or even listening to them. Now, there is a difference between making eye contact and scaring the heck out of people by staring at them. When you make eye contact, you potray confidence. Period. I have used the approach of making eye contact for a few seconds and then may be look a little above or below the eye for a few seconds. I do it back and forth and this makes it easy for me to do eye contact.
3. Walk 25 percent faster. Throw your shoulders back, lift up your head, move ahead just a little faster and feel self-confidence grow. - I love the way I feel when I am walking faster. I love the feeling of the slight breeze which blows across my ears, when I am walking a little faster. Of course, you don't want to walk 25% faster when you are walking with somebody who walks a little slower(like an elderly, or a disabled person). That might endup making you looking arrogant than confident. So use judgement.
4. Practice speaking up. - Speaking softly is good only when you are angry! Otherwise, we should speak a couple of decibels higher than normal. That shows you know what you are talking about!
5. Smile big. A big smile gives you confidence. A big smile beats fear, rolls away worry, defeats despondency. Smile until your teeth show. A large-size smile is fully guaranteed to potray confidence. - I smile at people because it is free to do so. Smile is the only thing that you can give away and still have lots of left with you. It is very contagious. It is kind of hard to smile when you are having a bad day, but hey, people with confidence are different any way! Once has to be especially careful that the smile is not plastic or artificial. How do you know when your smile is natural and when it is aritficial? Well, when you smile and your heart smiles with you then it is natural otherwise it is artificial.

I got these simple steps from a book called "The magic of thinking big". It is one heck of a book if you are looking to grow you. These steps are very simple and yet very effective.

so long!...

-SamCam

Just one

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

-Anonymous

Inside each one of us there is incredible potential, seeds of greatness. Each of us are an individual miracle, like snowflake. We are engineered to success and designed for accomplishment. Anything that is great, was just an idea of one man/woman in the begenning. If we look back at history, there are many individuals who started with a humble begenning and accomplished great things. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and many many others. These people have changed the course of history. Their actions have affected (and are still affecting) many millions of people. I recently read a book called "The greatest Miracle in the World" by Og Mandino. This is a great book which points out what and individual miracle we are. I also heard that 99% of all of our DNA are the same, and yet it is that 1% that causes each one of us to be different. There is not one person on earth that has the same DNA as you do (not in the history of this planet, which btw is billions of years..). We look all around us to see excellence/potential, and yet it is within each of us it lies. That is the greatest secret! One of the hardest things for me to do is remind myself everyday that I have what it takes. Its a battle especially because life is throwing lemons at you all the time. It is when we make lemonade out of these lemons, that life throws at us, we realize that we have what it takes to do what we are meant to do! So, get up, lets make some lemonade and then set the world on fire! Because, 'just one' person like you is what the world needs!

so long!...

-SamCam

Plan the work, work the plan

YOU CANNOT FAIL WITH A PLAN
Wanting success isn't sufficient enough to get it.
You have to ask yourself, "What am I going to do to get the things I want?"
Your problem is how to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.
You cannot fail with a definite step-by-step plan, because each step carries you along to the next step, like a track.
All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.
You cannot get lost on a straight road.

-Max Steingart

When you have a plan, it invariably means that you have a goal too. But vice versa may not be true. I have had set goals many times and failed to have a plan to work it out. It only meant one thing - I was not going to reach my goals. First step of attaining success is having 'success' (whatever success means to you at that time) as a goal. The next most important step is to have a plan to reach that goal. Having a goal is like having a destination, and having a plan is like having a map to that destination. You will know along the way, if you are on the right track. Like Max says "You cannot get lost on a straight road". A journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step, not just knowing and planning for the 1000 miles. So having a goal or having a plan to reach the goal does not guarantee sucess. Success is only guaranteed only when we work the plan persistently and giving it a life of its own. So why not "plan the work and work the plan" and achieve our goals?

so long!...

-SamCam

PS: Thanks for those of you who visit this blog regularly. I apologize for not being able to post here regularly. Continue to come and get inspired. Please do leave a comment on the post with your thoughts. My blog will inspire you, but your comments will inspire me!

Law of Life

The tree that never had to fight
For the sun and sky and air and light,
that stood out in the open plain,
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king.

The man who never had to toil,
Who never had to win his share,
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man,
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow in ease;
The stronger the wind, the tougher trees;
The more the storm, the more the strength;
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In tree or man, good timber grows.

Where thickest stands the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both,
And they hold converse with the stars,
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much strife,

This is the common law of life.

Nobody has "tip-toed through the tulips" to success. Success requires relentless and persistent effort, period. It takes a live fish to swim against the current, conversely, even a dead fish can float with the current! So, What is this "Law of life" thing? In very simple terms, we have to go through struggle to accomplish what we want, especially if it is something worthwile. Character is developed only in the valley's not the peak tops. When we face struggle in the eye and declare "dude!, you are not a big deal, I am going to kick your butt!" half the battle is won! I once heard somebody say "airplanes cannot fly without the resistance of the wind, ships cannot sail without the resistance of water", in the same way, there is no success without struggle! The hardest part for me is to remind myself about this "common law of life", since when I am going through a struggle it is not sweet..

so long!...

-SamCam

Truth will set us free..

NO AUTHORITY IS HIGHER THAN REALITY
Truth isn't a matter of your personal viewpoint.
Learn to see things as they really are,
not as you imagine they are.
Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it.
No matter what you believe, it never changes the facts.
If they are there, the facts always speak for themselves.
The truth does not change because it is, or is not,
believed by a majority of people.
If sixty million people say a foolish thing,
it's still a foolish thing.
The sky is no less blue because the blind man does not see it.

-Max Steingart

How many times have we heard that "perception is reality". Yes, perception is reality, but unfortunately, perceptions can be wrong. What is more unfortunate is sometimes, people take others perception as their reality.. That is so wrong! Like Max says "If sixty million people say a foolish thing,it's still a foolish thing." We cannot live our life based on others perceptions, we will have to figure out the truth and base our perception on truth. "No authority is higher than reality"- the reality that Max is talking about is "Truth" not perception. The daily grind of life and others inputs can skew our perception, but "truth" never changes. That is the exact reason why "Truth will set us free!".

so long!...

-SamCam

Masters touch

It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks.” he cried,
“Who will start bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, now two, only two?
Three dollars once, three dollars twice…
And going for three…” but no;

For the room far back a gray-haired man
Stepped forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin.
And tightening the loose strings,
He played them a melody, pure and sweet,
As pure as an angel sings.

The music stopped, and the auctioneer said
In a voice that was quiet and low:
“Now, then, what am I offered for the old violin?”
As he held it up with the bow…

“One thousand dollars, now who’ll make it two?
Two thousand, and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice…
And going… and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried:
“We did not really understand
What changed it’s worth?” - swift came the reply:
“The touch of the master’s hand.”

And many a person with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with Sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the mindless crowd,
Much like the old violin.

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game, and they travel on…
They’re going once, they’re going twice,
They’re going… and almost gone.

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd,
Never will really understand
The worth of a soul, and the change that is brought,
By the touch of the Master’s Hand.


There is music in everyone. There is potential in everyone. But most people die with the music still in them. Nobody has encouraged them, nobody has mentored them. They are like the old violin, which when fine tuned and played by a master, plays a sweet melody. But unlike the violin, which cannot go in search of a master musician, we CAN go in search of a mentor who can get the music out of us, help us reach our potential. Napolean Hill calls it a "master mind alliance". I can't remember where I read this quote, "A man who has himself for counsel has a fool as his master". Folks, this is absolutely true. My life has been changed and continues to change because of right counsel. I feel so secure that I have somebody who has walked the way that I need to walk, and better yet, I have them for counsel. Everyone needs a masters touch. Do you have one?

so long!...

-SamCam