Acres of Diamonds is a story I shared with the women at my conference last weekend. It’s one of my favourites, and when I asked if anyone heard it – no one did. So I knew I had to share this story on my blog.
Acres of Diamonds by Earl Nightingale
The Acres of Diamonds story “a true one” is told of an African farmer who heard tales about other farmers who had made millions by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. He sold the farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent searching unsuccessfully for the gleaming gems that brought such high prices on the markets of the world. Finally, worn out and in a fit of despondency, he threw himself into a river and drowned.
Meanwhile, the man who had bought his farm happened to be crossing the small stream on the property one day, when suddenly there was a bright flash of blue and red light from the stream bottom. He bent down and picked up a stone. It was a good-sized stone, and admiring it, he brought it home and put it on his fireplace mantel as an interesting curiosity.
Several weeks later a visitor picked up the stone, looked closely at it, hefted it in his hand, and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he’d found. When the farmer said, no, that he thought it was a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he had found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farmer had trouble believing that. He told the man that his creek was full of such stones, not all as large as the one on the mantel, but sprinkled generously throughout the creek bottom.
The farm the first farmer had sold, so that he might find a diamond mine, turned out to be one of the most productive diamond mines on the entire African continent.The first farmer had owned, free and clear … acres of diamonds. But he had sold them for practically nothing, in order to look for them elsewhere. The moral is clear: If the first farmer had only taken the time to study and prepare himself to learn what diamonds looked like in their rough state, and to thoroughly explore the property he had before looking elsewhere, all of his wildest dreams would have come true.
The thing about this story that has so profoundly affected millions of people is the idea that each of us is, at this very moment, standing in the middle of our own acres of diamonds. If we had only had the wisdom and patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work in which we’re now engaged, to explore ourselves, we would most likely find the riches we seek, whether they be financial or intangible or both.
Before you go running off to what you think are greener pastures, make sure that your own is not just as green or perhaps even greener. It has been said that if the other guy’s pasture appears to be greener than ours, it’s quite possible that it’s getting better care. Besides, while you’re looking at other pastures, other people are looking at yours.
Here’s the deal my beautiful friends!
Your desires weren’t laid on your heart randomly – they were placed there. They are your desires for a reason. Whatever it is that you desire, follow that nudge! Those nudges and desires are the diamonds you were given.
These last 2 weeks I have been living my dream life. I don’t say this lightly. It’s taken me years of hard consistent work, and also, refining and fine tuning my dreams and most importantly gaining confidence to go out and live those dreams. Taking the “diamonds” that I had all along and bring them out to shine.
Let me tell you how my last 2 weeks went in a nutshell:
- invited on a private trip & tour of Mont Tremblant, QC through work
- went to Holt Renfrew and bought my first pair of Louboutin’s, which were a gift for my Book Launch
- held my book for the first time in my hands
- spoke at a 5-star resort to an amazing group of women on finding your financial bliss
- went running in the mountains and countryside in the crisp sparkling fall air
- read, cleaned, shopped, played, cuddled with my family
- get to celebrate my book with 100 of my most favorite people on the planet at one of my fav chic restaurants
- signed and sold my book to women from all over Alberta
- inspired people to follow and take action on their dreams
By the way, none of this is a fluke. It’s all by design and all dreamed of. I’m blessed and grateful, and I made choices and decisions to make this happen.
(On a side note, not everything went perfect, and I still went through a RANGE of emotions these last 2-weeks. So even with living your dream life, there is still shit that happens. It’s never perfect, and yet it’s so perfect!)
Remember, first, you must dream.
Then second, you must envision, imagine, and paint the picture in your head of the life you want, then do that every day.
Then you gotta journal the crap outta it and be as specific as you can be. Write and re-write your life into reality. Your words will become your reality.****THIS IS THE REAL SECRET TO ACHIEVING ANYTHING YOU WANT!****
Anything you believe you can achieve. No dream is too silly. No dream is too grand.
You know why it’s your responsibility to do this?
Because by living your dream, you inspire others to live theirs. Period.
So go buy those dream shoes, go make your art, go make a million dollars, go blow your own mind. Then share it! Share it with everyone you meet!
You will make this world a better place! You better believe it!
