#22 Acres of Diamonds

Got Any Priceless Gems in Your Backyard?

In our last +1 we had fun with our new mantra: “No pressure, no diamonds.”

Continuing the diamond theme, let’s talk about Acres of Diamonds. It’s a classic old-school self-development story.

Have you ever heard it?

Super-short version: Diamonds are being discovered in Africa. A farmer decides he’s going to head out in pursuit of his fortune so he sells his farm, leaves his family and searches the continent for years. He finds nothing and, apparently, throws himself into a river and dies.

Lo and behold, the man who purchased his farm discovers a funny looking rock on his new land. That rock turns out to be one of the biggest diamonds ever discovered. The farm is covered with funny looking rocks like that. His farm becomes one of the most profitable diamond mines in the world.

Moral of the story: Before you head out in search of diamonds, check out your current situation. You might just be sitting on acres of diamonds.

We’re so quick to rush out into the new again and again and again—whether in our relationships or creative pursuits or health and fitness routines.

What if we slowed down and mined our current life a little more?

Today’s +1: What funny looking rocks do YOU have in your very own backyard that might just be priceless?

P.S. Here’s how Brian Tracy captures another facet of the diamond in Maximum Achievement: “The moral of this story was that the old farmer did not realize that the diamonds do not look like diamonds in their rough form. They simply look like rocks to an uneducated eye.

A diamond must be cut, faceted, polished and set before it looks like the kind of diamond that you see in the jewelry stores. Likewise, your acres of diamonds probably lie right under your own feet. But they are usually disguised as hard work. ‘Opportunities come dressed in work clothes.’

Your acres of diamonds probably lie in your own talents, your interests, your education, your background and experience, your industry, your city, your contacts. Your acres of diamonds probably lie right under your own feet if you will take the time to recognize them and then go to work on them.”

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