Realize Your Own Acres of Diamonds...

I recently read a wonderful short story (it was originally a speech*) entitled Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell. If you haven’t read it, I HIGHLY recommend it.

In this speech, Conwell told of an ancient Persian farmer by the name of Ali Hafed who was wealthy and contented, until one day when he heard about the untold source of wealth found in diamonds. To pursue this wealth, Ali Hafed sold all his belongings, including his farm and orchards, and left on a quest. He lived out the remainder of his life in search of diamonds but died a poor man – having never found a single diamond.

Years later, a visitor to Ali Hafed’s farm noticed something curious in the garden. As they explored further, they realized that his entire farm was sitting on top of what was to become the Golconda diamond mine – the most magnificent diamond mine in the history of man.

The morale? Usually our greatest source of happiness, wealth and contentment can be found right in our own backyard.

This really hit home for me…I hope it helps you as well!

Think prosperously and expect good things!
Jenny

*Considered by many to be one of the finest speeches ever written, Acres of Diamonds offers a multitude of lessons about the rewards of work, education, and finding the riches of life in one's own back yard. In an era when many Americans would pack public halls to hear speeches given by the greatest citizens of their day, Russell Conwell read his world-famous lecture hundreds of times, and used the income he earned delivering it to found a small seminary to train Baptist ministers. That school soon grew into Temple University, one of the first universities to offer affordable education to working-class Americans. It stands today as the most visible example of Russell Conwell's legacy and vision.