Keep Trying and Go for Gold

Believing in your goals can be a challenge--and the sweetest accomplishment when it finally comes true. This is part of a speech I took from the internet which my Chinese Speaking & Listening freshman classes were encouraged to do as an assignment. They were so afraid of not pronouncing words correctly and embarrassing themselves--and I told them they could already speak one of the world's hardest languages. Many found true courage and accomplishment in standing before their peers and sharing these thoughts. I hope you find the same in turn. Again, in a prior post, I admit to anyone: I once had terrible stage fright. And now I thoroughly enjoy public speaking. I kept trying--and found it worked!

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Three Feet From Gold: Keep Trying!

You have to have passion, talent, take action, associate with others, and keep your faith in your dreams. Chances are you have found something that works for you. I have realized that when people find what is important to them, then that’s where things move. If you are following someone else’s dream, chances are you will fall short. If you follow someone else’s passion, chances are it’s not yours, so you will give up. It’s the people that find their own success equation and do it all out: those are the people that truly live a life of purpose.

Three Feet from Gold

The story idea is about R. U. Darby, the gold miner who gave up three feet away from the largest strike in history. (It may or may not be true—but it’s the idea that counts here.) It reminded me that most people quit when things start getting tough. So I went on this mission to meet amazing people, and the very first person was a guy named Dave Liniger. People don’t know his name, but you might know his business. I asked Dave if he wanted to quit when he was getting started in real estate back in 1970, and he said every day.

He said it was so bad for two years that every phone call that came in was from a bill collector. The third year it got so bad he was sent to jail and called a fraud and a liar. I asked him what he did. He said he took his attitude from trying to prove everyone else wrong and do something more important just to prove he was right. He called the bill collectors back and told them he didn’t have all the money, but he had $50. He sent it to them with a promise that he wasn’t going to quit and asked them to not give up on him. He called every bill collector. In the fourth year someone believed in him and, bought the first business. Now that’s called RE/MAX Real Estate Corporation. It is the largest company in the U.S. now for the sale of homes and land.

 The moral is how many times have we or someone we know given up right before the miracle happens. I went and met with the president of NASCAR (National Association of Race Car Drivers) and also Mrs. Fields Cookies, and I asked them all how they avoided from keeping themselves from talking themselves out of the dream. One of the greatest wisdoms came from a guy name John Schwarz, who invented String Theory in physics. For 10 years, everyone said he was crazy and out of his mind, but he figured it out. When I asked him why he didn’t quit when everyone else thought he was crazy, he said it’s because he knew he was right. He said the secret of success is to never let another person talk you out of your dream.

 He said that if you want to be successful, successful people seek counsel and failures listen to opinions. Opinion is based on ignorance, lack of knowledge, and inexperience. Counsel is based on wisdom, knowledge, and mentorship. John Schwarz said if we would spend our daily lives only seeking counsel and ignoring people’s opinion, that’s the day your life would change.

The whole idea of writing this book was to help everyday people put themselves in this circumstance. When you’re flipping through the pages, you realize you are not alone. Each and every person we talk to, you see yourself in their circumstance, saying, if they did it, you can too.