Writers 
A frequent reason for failure is the tendency to give up when facing a momentary setback. Everyone experiences this misstep at some point. An uncle of R. U. Darby fell victim to the “gold fever” during the gold rush era and headed west to mine for wealth. He was unaware that far more gold has been extracted from human ingenuity than has ever been sourced from the ground. He claimed a plot of land and began his labor with a pickaxe and shovel. The process was strenuous, but his desire for gold was clear.
After numerous weeks of hard work, he struck it rich by uncovering glittering ore. He required machinery to extract the ore from underground. Discreetly, he concealed the mine, returned home to Williamsburg, Maryland, and shared the news of his discovery with his family and a few nearby friends. They raised funds for the necessary equipment, which was then sent to him. Both the uncle and Darby resumed their mining efforts.
The first load of ore was harvested and sent to a smelter. The returns indicated they possessed one of Colorado's most valuable mines! A few additional shipments of that ore would erase their debts, leading to significant profits.
The drills started again! The hopes of both Darby and his uncle soared! Then something unexpected occurred! The gold vein vanished! They reached the culmination of their pursuit, but the treasure was no longer present! They continued drilling, desperately attempting to find the vein again, but it was futile.
Ultimately, they made the decision to GIVE UP. They sold the machinery to a scrap dealer for a few hundred dollars and boarded a train back home. Some scrap dealers lack awareness, but this one was astute! He enlisted a mining engineer to evaluate the mine and perform some calculations. The engineer recommended that the project had been abandoned prematurely because the owners were unaware of “fault lines.” His analysis revealed that the gold vein rested JUST THREE FEET FROM WHERE THE DARBYS HAD CEASED DRILLING! That is precisely where it was discovered!
The scrap dealer extracted millions of dollars' worth of ore from the mine because he understood the importance of seeking expert advice before quitting. A significant portion of the funds used for the machinery was gathered through the efforts of R. U. Darby, then a young man. The money came from his family and neighbors, who had confidence in him. He repaid every cent, though it took him several years to do so.
Years later, Mr. Darby regained his losses many times over upon realizing that DESIRE could be transformed into gold. This realization followed his entry into the life insurance business.
Recalling that he forfeited a substantial amount of money because he halted just three feet away from gold, Darby learned from that incident in his preferred occupation by telling himself, “I halted three feet from gold, but I will never cease simply because men respond `no’ when I propose they purchase insurance.”
Darby is among a select group of fewer than fifty individuals who annually sell over a million dollars in life insurance. His ability to persist can be attributed to the insight he gained from his propensity to give up during his time in gold mining.
Before any individual experiences achievement, they inevitably encounter numerous temporary setbacks and perhaps some failures. When a setback occurs, the easiest and most sensible option is to GIVE UP. This is precisely what most individuals tend to do.
Over five hundred of the most accomplished individuals this nation has ever seen shared with the author that their greatest accomplishments occurred just one step past the moment they faced defeat. Failure acts as a deceiver with a sharp sense of irony and cleverness.
It takes pleasure in stumbling someone at the moment when success is nearly attainable.
