I get the picture, Greg barked, then dropped the receiver and looked around. He had to admire her wellexecuted plan. It was almost as if the Grinch had visited a Who house and cleared out the whole place.
The only items she had left behind were his favorite, rather lived-in chair and a side table with a single framed photograph on it. There was a note taped to the photo. He removed it from the frame and read it aloud. Greg, Here is a picture of you in the Bahamas. Notice that you are on the beach alone. This represents the way I felt in our relationship. I hope you find someone who can love you as much as you love yourself.
Throwing the note aside, he felt a sense of abandonment as he trudged across the room, removing the strangers coat and letting it fall to the bare floor. As he loosened his tie, he noticed that a business card had fallen out of the jacket onto the floor, face up. It hadnt occurred to him to check the pockets to see if he could figure out who the owner might be.
He picked up the card. The name printed on the business card was that of the legendary Jonathan Buckland, who just happened to be the most well-known and politically well-connected business tycoon in the city. Greg flipped the card over to look at the back. Nothingit was blank. He looked at the front again. Could this be Mr. Bucklands jacket? Greg smiled as he smelled opportunity. Immediately his attitude changed from loss to hope. He now had an excuse to call this great man.
The chance to connect, even briefly, with a person of Bucklands stature would be worth much more than the value of the jacket that now lay crumpled at Gregs feet. Forgetting all about the empty apartment and the girlfriend who had left him, he went to the telephone to call the business leaders office.
Maybe his luck had changed. More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth. Awakening The lobby of Jonathan Bucklands headquarters building was awe-inspiring, with imported-wood floors and floor-toceiling windows that made Greg feel smalleven insignificanta rare feeling for someone as self-important as this visitor. In that moment, Greg remembered the buildings he had visited as a young boy. His father sometimes took him along on business trips into the city.
Those adventures with his dad had inspired Gregs dreams of success. He could not stop himself from comparing his boyhood dreams with his currently unfulfilled life. Things sure hadnt worked out as he had planned. It occurred to him that he had not been in touch with his family for a few weeksmaybe it was a few months.
Hed call later, he promised himself. He didnt want them thinking he wasnt rolling in cash. A smiling receptionist greeted him. Welcome to the World Capital Building. Please take the elevator to the fiftyfourth floor, and enjoy your visit. In the few moments it took to reach his destination, Greg pulled himself together. He put on his best game face and gave himself a quick pep talkthis was his moment to shine!
He stood ready to exit the elevator armed with all the self-generated confidence and charisma he could muster. When the doors parted, the eager guest burst out with the force of a rodeo bull jumping out of the gates. Watch out there, Pops, he said as he pushed past a tall older gentleman who stood before him, presumably waiting to enter the elevator.
Marching toward the reception desk, he held up a Neiman Marcus bag with the borrowed jacket inside and announced, Hey there. Im here to meet Mr. I have something for him. Yes, he was expecting you. Greg cut her off by responding all too loudly, Was expecting me? What are you talking about? I was told to come to this place at this time to give him back his coat. And now hes not here? Maybe I should have just kept the darned thing. Sir, I think you misunderstood, the receptionist replied.
I said was because you have already met him, she whispered. She pointed back toward the elevator door, at the older man Greg had just pushed aside. Frozen in shame, his eyes bugged slightly as he gave the receptionist a what-do-I-do-now expression.
Jonathan Buckland saved him from this incredibly uncomfortable moment with, I thought you were on your way to a fire, young man. I was just coming over to greet the man who had enough integrity to return my favorite jacket. Realizing his faux pas and feeling a twinge of guilt at Bucklands use of the word integrity, Gregs demeanor immediately changed.
After seeing his picture in magazines all these years, he couldnt believe he had failed to recognize the renowned Mr. Standing six feet four inches tall, he was a giant of a man with an even larger personality. It would be hard for anyone to brush past such an iconic figure. Greg turned to greet the great Buckland, whose smile now peeked from beneath his famed bushy mustache, which resembled walrus tusks. His unpretentious blue eyes contradicted the imperial image expected of such a man.
When Buckland extended his hand, Greg handed him the bag. Accepting the item, Buckland said, I appreciate that, but I was attempting to shake your hand. Oh, Greg replied, turning an even brighter shade of red. I apologize, Mr. It seems I cannot do anything right today. I really need a break. I should probably just give up and start all over.
Understand this, we all make our own breaks, and at the end of the day we are exactly where we choose to be. The tycoon paused and pointed to the open door of his office.
Got a second? Realizing he had just been invited into the office of this legendary businessman, Greg tried to erase his awkwardness with a joke of sorts: Yes. I think I can fit you in. As they stepped into the most tastefully decorated business office hed ever seen, he could not help but notice the incredible view of the harbor through the windows.
As he stepped into Bucklands personal world, Greg didnt realize that he was also stepping across the threshold into a whole new chapter of his own life.
Take a seat, offered the host. You seem a bit uptight. Tell me whats on your mind. Greg took the chair closest to the large desk and started right in. Sorry about back there. I am very embarrassed, he said in a humble tone. I was very excited to be here and obviously went a little over the top. Ive been a bit overwhelmed lately and thought that maybe my luck had changed when I had the opportunity to meet with you.
In fact, I have to confess I was hoping for a big break, and then I blew it with my behavior. I am really sorry. My girlfriend just left me with no warning after five years, and Im seriously thinking about quitting my business. Im pretty much at my wits end and ready to throw in the towel. Then, somewhat sheepishly, Greg went on, I cant believe I just unloaded on you like this.
Once again, I apologize. He thought to himself, You are such an idiot talking to Buckland this way! Like he really cares about your problems. No apology necessary. And you havent blown anything. I am a good listener, and it sounds like we were supposed to meet. You know the saying, There are no coincidences.
I enjoy helping young people like you discover who they really are and what they really want. The fact that you returned my jacket is a very good signeven if your reason was just to meet me.
He gave Greg a subtle wink. I have something that may help you. Buckland reached for a book on the shelf behind him and handed it to his visitor. Its about success. It tells you never to quit three feet from gold! Three feet from what? Greg asked, accepting the book. Instantly he recognized the title, Think and Grow Rich, even though he had never read it. Politely, he thumbed through the pages before attempting to hand it back to his host. Buckland smiled without moving to retrieve it. Greg kept his arm outstretched in an awkward stalemate before setting the book down on the desk.
Sitting back in his overstuffed leather chair, Buckland said, I am going to share another saying with you, one that has stayed with me for years. It is, Never complain about your problems, because ninety-five percent of the people dont care, and the other five percent are glad they happened to you.
Greg looked at Buckland with an expression that showed he not only fully understood what Buckland was saying but felt the reality of it in his own life. Now he felt even worse about dumping his problems on the older man. Buckland said, I like to prove that saying wrong. I care about people who want to, and are willing to, help themselves. Let me ask you something. In your opinion of lifein generalis the glass half full, or is it half empty?
Thinking about the query for a moment, Gregs direct reply took Buckland by surprise. It depends. On what, may I ask? Where the glass began, Greg responded. Go on. Greg finished his thought: The way I see it, if the glass started out completely empty and you added liquid to it, the glass would become half full.
If the glass started out full and you poured a portion out, it would then be half empty. Reaching into his impressive hand-carved mahogany desk, Buckland pulled out a small notepad and wrote something down. The contemplative expression on his face showed that he was impressed by this unique response to an age-old question.
Buckland laid down his pen and twisted one side of his mustache in a thoughtful gesture. I dont know what it is about you, but I like you. Maybe you remind me of myself at your age. Buckland thought for a moment longer, then looked into the younger mans eyes. I think you may have potential. Are you willing to work on helping yourself? If so, I have a friend I want you to meet. If hes a friend of yours, Id love to, Greg replied, feeling a surge of excitement up his spine.
And why is that? Buckland asked, hoping for another unique response. Well, as they say, Birds of a feather flock together, and considering how successful you are, I would guess your friends are hot shots too. Youre right about that. My good friend Charlie Tremendous Jones always says that youre the same today as you will be in five years except for two things. Buckland paused and gazed at his guest for what seemed like forever.
In order to end the awkward silence, the newly openminded student asked, What two things? With a smile, Buckland pointed to the book on the desk and said, The people you meet and the books you read. Think about it. We are the sum total of the knowledge we have and those we associate with. If you read nothing but tabloids, that is what you will know and absorb.
If you read biographies about great people and inspirational books, then that too is what you will know and absorb. Okay, I get that. And the people we meet part is true too, I suppose, Greg said.
You got that right. Charlie always says, Hang around thinkers, and youll be a better thinker. Hang around winners, and youll be a better winner. Hang around a bunch of complaining, griping boneheads, and youll become a better complaining, griping bonehead. Greg burst out laughing as Buckland continued. I have just handed you one of the greatest books you will ever read, so thats number one.
The second part is the opportunity to meet someone who will shine some insight on the treasures you will find within its pages.
Thank you, Mr. Buckland, Greg said, looking a bit more closely at the book he had earlier set aside. Just meeting you has been a huge gift to me. I look forward to meeting whomever you suggest. And I see you jotted something down while we were talking. Did I say something wrong again? Heavens, no.
In fact you taught me something that I want to remember. Buckland turned the dog-eared notebook so Greg could read what he had just written. Whether the glass is half full or half empty depends on where it began. Another thing I have learned over the years is that all great leaders keep copious notes.
In my case, I write short reminders to myself so that I can thumb through them later and instantly recall the entire message.
And you just made my book. Inspired by the comment, Greg felt a renewed sense of self-confidence as he shook Bucklands hand. Things might turn out okay after all, he thought. Before he could get too far ahead of himself, Jon Buckland saw the cockiness returning to his new friend and brought him back down to earth with a question. Would I want to meet your friends? Greg just smiled and replied, Probably not, Mr. Probably not. Many successful people have found opportunities in failure and adversity that they could not recognize in more favorable circumstances.
Planting the Seeds Rapid knocking woke Greg from a sound sleep the next morning. He had been dreaming about Mia, imagining that she hadnt left him, that she would be lying next to him in the morning. She wasnt. Throwing on a robe, he stumbled through his empty apartment to the front door. Frank, the smiling doorman, greeted him.
This came for you, he said, holding out a package. When Greg reached for it, the doorman snuck a peek into the nearly empty room. He saw a few lawn chairs arranged around a small card table that Greg had borrowed from the buildings recreation center.
The space looked cold, uninviting, even depressingfar from the. Thanks, the tenant snapped as he grabbed the package and turned inside. Intuitively, the doorman pulled his head back just in time to move his nose away from the slamming door.
There was no tip forthcoming. On the other side of the door, Greg stopped himself. Normally, he wouldnt have given a second thought to his actions, but today something was different. He opened the door and called down the hallway, Sorry about that, Frank. I have a lot on my mind. But thats no excuse. Frank turned, surprised. Greg said, I appreciate your bringing this up. Youre quite welcome.
Frank had regained his smile. He tipped his cap and disappeared out of sight around a corner. Tearing off the shipping paper, Greg was startled to discover a small notepad like the one Buckland had used for his reminders, along with a copy of the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, the book that Buckland had shown him the day before.
Inside the front cover, there was an airline itinerary and a short note: Challenge: Use this ticket, meet with my good friend Don, and apply what he shares with you.
Many receive good advice, yet few profit from it. Will you? Greg thought about that. Few profit from it. What could possibly be the downside? Reading on, he found the information Buckland had provided about his friend, Don Green. Right away he. Immediately he called his office, cleared his schedule which didnt take long , and packed a bag.
He couldnt believe Jonathan Buckland had actually sent him an airline ticket to visit a colleague after just meeting him once. This was one gift he wanted to be sure he appreciated. Just as he reached his door to leave for the airport, his telephone rangthe rarely used home phone, not his cell phone.
With a sigh he turned to answer it. Hello, he said. Greg, its David. Those three words conjured up in Greg s mind a lifetime of memories, many of them wonderful images of family, youth, and friendshipbut others, more recent memories, of pain, disappointment, heartache, and even disgust.
He wanted to hang up the phone and leave, pretending he had not even answered. But he knew he could not. Holding the receiver to his ear, he did not respond at first. Its David, the caller repeated, somewhat aggressively. Hi, Dave. Youre catching me at a bad time. Im running out to the airport. Got a big deal going, brother? Kind of. More on the research and development end of things right now. David Engel was not really Gregs brotherbut he was the nearest thing. As a three-year-old, David had been orphaned when his father and mother, close friends of Gregs own parents, had been killed in a horrific auto accident.
The family took David into their home and eventually adopted him. Greg and David Engel were less than a year apart and had been friendly rivals for their entire lives.
Friendly, that. Well, arent we on the cutting edge? Thinking outside the box. My buddy, most likely to succeed and all that crap! David spat sarcastically, slurring the word succeed.
Have you been drinking? Greg hated asking that question and hated himself for asking it. But he had to. It was right there in front of his face, and he was angry. How dare this guy insert his problems and his failures into Gregs life! Brother or not. So what if I have? I can afford it. I may not be rich like you, but if I want to have a drink, whats to stop me? I know I cant stop you, Dave. Maybe I dont even want to. But I can end this conversation. Its going nowhere fast. WaitI wanted to!
Greg slammed down the phone and rushed out the door. He forced back the tears of rage that welled up behind his eyes. He would not let a pitiful drunk ruin his dayor his life.
After a five-hour flight, Greg found himself in the most majestic landscape hed ever seen. Slight insecurity tinged his sense of wonder as he pulled up to the headquarters of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, the organization that protects and promotes the wisdom of Napoleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich.
He had skimmed through the book on the flight over, and he was anxious to learn more. Being a bit nervous and hoping not to duplicate his first encounter with a great leader, he was quickly set at ease by Don Greens friendly smile and relaxed demeanor. Hello, Greg. My name is Don, and I bet youre wondering why you traveled all this way to Wise, Virginia, to meet a complete stranger.
Well, not really a stranger, Greg said. After Mr. Bucklands introduction and my own research, I have to admit I was pretty eager to meet you. He also told me about Charlie Tremendous Jones and the importance of the books you read and the people you meet. From his new mentors note and subsequent internet searches, Greg had learned that Don Green became a bank president at a relatively early age, went on to become a successful business executive with his own companies, and was a person who gave back generously to his community.
He had received many honors along the way, such as an award for being the citizen volunteer of the year, and he had served on the boards of both his local PBS station and the University of Virginia. More importantly, he was the CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, and in that coveted position was the person in charge of overseeing the entire operation. Charlies advice is very good. And Im sure Bucky was very kind with the information he provided you about me, Don said.
One thing is for certain; I have read a lot of books and met a lot of people. I have studied the principles of success for almost forty-five years and have always been interested in learning what makes people truly successful in their fields. That is what the Foundation is all about. Greg noticed that Green was not bashful about the praise that Buckland had given him. He was friendly and humble, but not disingenuously modest.
Don motioned to a chair. Go ahead and have a seat. As they both sat down, the host continued, You must have impressed the old walrus for him to send you all this way. I assume you are on a quest for success.
I think he knew I needed a lot of help, Greg said. I definitely want to be successful, but I just dont seem to be getting anywhere. Don was thoughtful for a moment before he responded. Id like to share with you one of the main reasons, and maybe the most important one, why only five percent of people attain success and why the rest fail to reach their potential.
That would be great because I want to become a millionaire. Well, Greg, you might wake up one day and discover that, in fact, you have accumulated a million dollars, yet in reality, you still may not have achieved success. Greg looked at his host, somewhat bewildered. As writer Ben Sweetland stated years ago, Success is a journey and not a destination.
Success is a way of life that you will continue as long as you live. Its about discovering your ultimate purpose and pursuing it with everything you have and everything you do, Don Green stated with great conviction. The reason I help run the Napoleon Hill Foundation is because I want to help people discover their ultimate purpose. But the lesson I am talking about and want to share with you today is about never giving up, about having the courage not to quit even when you feel you have no other choice.
Greg found himself physically pushing his body back into the chair in reaction to such a powerful statement. He remembered he had shared with Buckland his frustrations and his thoughts about giving up. I am here for a reason; I must pay attention, he prodded himself. Green noticed the young man squirming. Realizing he must have hit a nerve, he continued in a more reassuring manner. I see you have Think and Grow Rich in your hand. Let me tell you about the history of that book.
It was first published in and has sold many millions of copies around the world. It has more life-changing lessons in it than any other book Ive ever read.
But the lesson of never giving up is one of the most important. I think youll like this book, Greg, and it may even help you find some answers or, even better, inspire you to ask new questions. In the first chapter, Hill tells the story of R. Darby, who learned a very costly lesson that changed him for the rest of his life. Darby did what many people dohe quit when he felt overtaken by temporary defeat.
Napoleon Hill knew that every one of us is guilty of this mistake at one time or another. Greg vaguely remembered something about the story from his brief look at the book. Now he pulled himself upright to write in his notepad:.
The most common cause of failure is quitting. Pleased to see his visitor taking notes, Green continued. Darbys uncle had been struck by gold fever. Hed traveled west to get rich in the mining business.
This would-be prospector had many more hopes than solutions, you see, because he had not invested the time to learn how to do what he wanted to accomplish. He just wanted to find gold. He had not studied mining or learned from others about the proper way to mine or even the travails of mining.
He simply staked a claim and went to work with his pick and shovel. Greg sat quietly consuming every word of the story. He realized, to his surprise, that his usual internal dialogue of self-absorbed chatter had abated to a great degree.
He was. Fortunately, after weeks of manual labor, Darbys uncle was rewarded with the discovery of gold, and lots of it! While it was a good problem to have, he quickly realized that he really wasnt prepared.
He needed machinery to remove the enormous amount of heavy rocks and dirt that covered the shining ore. Understanding that machinery cost money that he didnt have, he carefully covered up the mine and traveled back to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland. He loudly proclaimed his great discovery and boasted of the tremendous wealth of gold that lay in the ground just waiting for his return.
It didnt take long to persuade his family and friends to invest toward the needed equipment. With money in hand, Darbys uncle invited his young protg to return with him to start digging for the promised treasure. When the first gold ore was retrieved, they excitedly shipped it to the smelter. Sure enough, it was high-quality ore and promised to be one of the richest gold discoveries in Colorado.
Just a few more loads and they would not only be able to repay their debts to their family and friends but would have plenty of money to spare. Darby and his uncle were convinced they were about to make a huge fortune from their gold mine.
Then tragedy struck. Just when their hopes were at their highest, the Darbys were crushed to reach the end of the rainbowthe proverbial pot of gold was no longer there. Greg set his pen down, mentally kicking himself. If he had actually invested the time to read the first chapter of the book, he would have already gotten it. Now remember, they just wanted more gold.
Cancel Overwrite Save. Don't wait! Try Yumpu. Start using Yumpu now! Terms of service. Privacy policy. Cookie policy. Change language. 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. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home.
He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. That is exactly where it was found! Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of R. 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.
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