Table Of Content“Napoleon Hill would be honored by this project.”
— S T E P H E N  M . R .  C O V E Y , author of
the New York Times best-seller The Speed of Trust
“Three Feet from Gold is destined to change the life of millions of 
people worldwide. Napoleon Hill would be proud of what Sharon 
Lechter and Greg Reid are doing to perpetuate his great work.”
— B O B  P R O C T O R , founder of
Life Success
“Great messages, great leaders, perfect inspiration, food for your 
soul. Three Feet from Gold is your road map to success.”
— D R .  D E N I S  W A I T L E Y , author of
    the global best-sellers Seeds of Greatness and Being the Best,
    contributor to the New York Times best-seller The Secret
“Lechter and Reid have revisited and refreshed the classic concepts 
of motivation that are essential for true success. Embedded in an 
engaging story part autobiographical and part fiction you’ll dis-
cover powerful principles and timeless truths that will help you 
find the gold in your life.”
— M A R k  S A N B O R N , author of the best-seller 
    The Fred Factor
“The Success Equation within this book will change your life in a 
profound and positive way. Read it. Then read it again!”
— H A R R Y  P A U L , coauthor,
FISH! and Instant Turnaround!
“The key secret to having it all is persevering through challenging 
times. This book shows you how to gain such strength.”
— J O H N  A S S A R A F , author of 
the New York Times best-sellers Having It All and
The Answer
“This book sets a new industry standard.”
— T I M  L Y O N , publisher,
    Personal Development Magazine
“Three Feet From Gold continues my grandfather’s teachings in a 
remarkable manner.”   — D R .  J A M E S  B .  H I L L
“I’m excited about the Three Feet From Gold project as it is a story 
and a message that is vital in our world today. This story reminds 
us that sometimes our greatest achievements are closer than we 
believe. In the final analysis, we don’t lose until we quit, and we 
don’t win until we persist.”
— J I M  S T O V A L L , author,
The Ultimate Gift
“This book has the ability to change millions of lives.”
— L E S  B R O W N , THE Motivator!
Three Feet
from Gold
Think and Grow Rich
Three Feet
from Gold
Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities!
Sharon L. Lechter & Greg S. Reid
with The Napoleon Hill Foundation
STERLING and the distinctive Sterling logo are registered trademarks of 
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available
10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1
Published by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 
10016, in association with the Napoleon Hill Foundation and TechPress Inc. 
Copyright© 2009 Napoleon Hill Foundation. All rights reserved.
Limitation of liability/disclaimer of warranty: While the publisher and author have 
used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or war-
ranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book 
and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a 
particular purpose and any liability for any misuse or damages stemming from the 
content of this book.
Think and Grow Rich is a registered trademark of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.
Pocket Promise is a trademark of Bill Bartmann.
Success Equation is a trademark of TechPress Inc.
Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing
c/o Canadian Manda Group, 165 Dufferin Street, 
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6k 3H6
Manufactured in the United States of America
All rights reserved
Sterling ISBN 978-1-4027-6764-7
For information about custom editions, special sales, premium and
corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales
Department at 800-805-5489 or [email protected].
C O N Te N T S
Opening Words—Napoleon Hill  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Authors’ Note  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Foreword—Mark Victor Hansen  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
CHApTeR ONe 
Running on empty 1
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR TWO
Awakening 7
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR THRee
planting the Seeds 15
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR FOuR
Through the Valleys 27
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR FiVe
Outstanding 37
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR Six
Formulating Success 45
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR SeVeN
passion 53
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR eiGHT
Stop planning 65
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR NiNe
Goal-Driven 75
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR TeN
Masterminds 87
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR eleVeN
Fiji and Beyond 101
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Three Feet from Gold
CHApTeR TWelVe
Believing in Yourself 113
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR THiRTeeN
Opportunities 125
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR FOuRTeeN
Attitude 133
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR FiFTeeN
Association 141
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR SixT eeN
The Courage to Change 153
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR SeVeNTeeN
Don’t Quit 161
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR eiGHTeeN
The Courage to Succeed 167
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR NiNeTeeN
Rolodex Wisdom 173
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR TWeNTY
A New Beginning 187
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHApTeR TWeNTY-ONe
The launch 203
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
epilOGue
Our Journey Continues 209
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closing Words—Napoleon Hill 211
 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Define Your Own personal Success equation 213
 . .
Acknowledgments 224
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Biographies of Our Mastermind Mentors 225
 . . . .
About the Authors 239
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Napoleon Hill Foundation 241
 . . . . . . .
viii
O p e N i N G  W O R D S
You can do it if you believe you can.
You control your destiny.
T
here are many things you cannot control, but you can 
control the only things that really matter: your mind 
and your attitude. External forces have very little to 
do with success. Those who program themselves for success 
find a way to succeed even in the most difficult of circum-
stances. Solutions to most problems come from one source 
and one source alone: yourself.
Living life to the fullest is a lot like shooting the rapids in 
a rubber raft. Once you’ve made the commitment, it’s diffi-
cult to change your mind, turn around, and paddle upstream 
to placid waters. But it’s the excitement and adventure that 
make it all worthwhile. If you never make the attempt, you 
may never know the depths of despair, but neither will you 
experience the exhilaration of success.
Decide to live life to the fullest.  
You may be three feet from gold.
—NapoleoN Hill
ix
Description:A century ago, Napoleon Hill began researching and writing his classic, Think and Grow Rich—which sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. On this 100th anniversary comes a fresh and modern look at the core theme of Hill’s master work. Three Feet from Gold takes the principle of never giving