A friend of mine's family was cursed by having inherited a gold mine

Three generations were affected, so far.  The grandfather found the gold mine when he was a young man and supported his family in a manner to which they quickly became accustomed.  Raised in the belief that the gold mine would always provide for them and their families, they were devastated when rising labor cost made the mine uneconomical.

Grandfather died, some say of a broken heart, and his son pursued various schemes to return the family to wealth.

He produced three daughters, whom he raised to believe that eventually the gold mine would once more be profitable, and they would all be provided for.

Eventually, the price of gold outstripped the cost of mining and the gold mine was put back into operation.

The father enjoyed his reestablished wealth, travelling to distant countries, buying cars and other toys.

The daughters watched as their father spent and spent.  Although he continued to promise them that this legacy would one day be theirs, they saw little of the money.

Because the father had been raised to believe that the gold mine would provide forever, he did not invest in the future, but spent in the present.

Still, my friend expected that one day the gold mine would be hers.  Although she had established her own business, she did not want to plan for the future, learn to control finances, build her business with the expectation that it would be a gold mine of her own.

After all, she was going to inherit a gold mine. Her father said so.

Then, she received a call from her mother.  "the gold mine is played out," her mother said, " there is no more gold in the claim."

"What happened to all the money you and Dad got out of the mine over the last 20 years?" she asked, afraid she knew the answer.

"It's basically gone.  We have our house, and a small retirement fund that will take care of us if we are careful, but that's it." Her mother seemed resigned, obviously she had known this was coming for some time.

This news hit my friend a ton bricks.  The gold mine was gone.  There would be no more rescues from her family.  In fact, since her father had never learned how to spend carefully, it looked like she might have to rescue her parents some time in the future.  Her father is too ill to work now, and her mother has never worked.

How could this happen?  How could she be so abandoned? She raged against her father for spending all the money foolishly, she blamed her mother for not controlling her father better, but most of all, she sorrowed over the end of her dream.  What could she do now?

When I first began hearing the stories of this family and it's gold mine, I thought, "Wow! Wouldn't that be great."

Now, some time later, I know the answer to that question.  No, it isn't great. In fact it is devastating.

For three generations, these people ignored all evidence that this outside force- this gold mine - would not last forever.  Cost go up, prices go down, ore runs out.

They ignored the need to find their own gold mine, the gold mine that would always produce results, always provide them with wealth.  The mine I am talking about is their own inner gold mine.

By developing the skills, the talents and the resources each one of us has in great abundance, we can each have a great reserve of gold, easily available to us any time we need it.

We cannot find this outside of ourselves, for in depending on the outward manifestation, we doom ourselves to disappointment.

So many times I have heard people say " when I get this, everything will be perfect."  It is always an outside determinate that is named. A new car, a new husband or wife, a new house, a certain amount of money in their bank account, are just some of the things people claim will make life perfect.

Our entire advertising and marketing industry is based on this false belief.  And on the truth, that new cars become old cars, people outgrow houses, and no bank account is ever large enough.

By depending on outward symbols of wealth, we lose sight of the gold mine we already have.  A gold mine of immense power and wealth that will produce profits for all our days.