Acres of Diamonds Missing?

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

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Acres of Diamonds Missing?

Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell deeply touched me.  This is a lesson of focusing on one thing at a time, also.  The grass often appears greener on someone else’s yard.  It’s based on a true story about an old Persian farmer who lived close to the Indus River.  The main character’s name was Ali Hafed.  This man owned a significantly large piece of property-replete with lush orchards and plentiful grain fields and beautiful gardens, and so this man was very, very wealthy.  One day, he was visited by a Buddhist priest from the east.  One night by the fire the priest expounded upon how the Almighty had created all things including precious valuables such as silver, gold and, of course, diamonds.  And he told him that if he had one diamond the size of his thumb, he could purchase the entire county, and if he had a mine of diamonds he could place his children upon thrones through the influence of their great wealth.  And so after hearing how much diamonds were worth, Ali lay awake all that night dreaming of diamonds.  He was determined to have a mine of diamonds, so he sold his farm, collected his money, left his family, and then went searching for diamonds.  The ultimate irony, he ended up committing suicide because of his failed search for diamonds.  In the meantime, the farm he used to own ended up being one of the richest diamond mine ever found.

 ”Had Ali Hafed remained at home and dug in his own cellar, or underneath his own wheat-fields, or in his own garden, instead of wretchedness, starvation, and death by suicide in a strange land, he would have had ‘acres of diamonds.’ For every acre of that old farm, yes, every shovelful, afterward revealed gems which since have decorated the crowns of monarchs.”

ACRES of Diamonds-12 Principles

1. If we would develop the wisdom and the patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work in which we are now engage, we would find that it contains the riches tangible and intangible we seek.
2. Before we go running off to what we may think is greener pastures, let’s realize our own pasture is unlimited.
3. There are no bad jobs, it is the way we go about our work which makes it good or bad.
4. That we poke ourselves into jugs beyond which we cannot grow, let’s remove the limitation we’ve set upon ourselves
5. That only preparation can insure our taking advantage of the opportunities, which WILL present themselves in the future, opportunities which are around us now.
6. Put your imagination to work on the many ways and means of improving what you are now doing.
7. Learn all you can about your job, your company and your industry.
8. Since there is no limit to the growth of your industry, it must follow there are similarly no limit on your growth potential within that industry.
9. Our dynamic and growing economy needs and will well reward the uncommon man who seeks a place in that growth.
10. Begin to build your library of reference material, pertaining to your company, industry or job and on how to better serve and get along with people.
11. Set aside an hour a day for this study and research.
12. Remember the story of the Acres of Diamonds.

Are you harnessing your ACRES of Diamonds?