How would you like to own a diamond mind free and clear? Think of the wealth and prestige something like this would bring to your life. There is a popular classic inspirational book called Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell that talks about this. Here is a brief recap of the story. There was once a poor land owner named Ali Hafed who longed to be rich. He loved diamonds and felt if he could just find a diamond mine, his life would be complete. He was told that diamonds could be found where the mountains give way to streams with a white sandy bottom, so he sold his home, his farm and all of his belongings and went in search of diamonds in the mountains and streams of a far away land.
The man who purchased Ali Hafed’s farm led his camel one day to drink from a garden brook, and as the camel put its nose into the shallow water, the new owner noticed a flash of red and blue light from the white sands of the stream. He pulled out a black stone that looked particularly appealing, took it home and placed it on his mantel and forgot about it.
A few days later an old priest visited the new land owner, and upon entering the man’s home he saw the black stone on the mantle he cried out, “Here is a diamond! Has Ali Hafed returned?”
As it turned out, Ali Hafed had owned acres of diamonds all along, yet he overlooked them and went off searching for what he already owned. The moral of the story: “what acres of diamonds do you already possess? What is beneath your feet, what talents do you already possess, what is within you that could become your acres of diamonds?”
Everyone stands in the middle of his own acres of diamonds. All we have to do is open our minds to see the abundance of opportunities before us?
Gemologists tell us that diamonds don’t look like diamonds in their rough state. They take polishing and chipping away the excess to get to the real value in a rock of diamonds. Can you relate to that?
Thirty years ago I was an aspiring writer and speaker with a lot of desire but not a lot of skill. Now, with practice and an investment of time I’ve developed some skills in these crafts. At one time my talents were so rough you would hardly recognize them as budding potentialities, but now, twenty or thirty years later people actually pause to listen and read some stuff that I produce.
One day, a few years ago, after reading Acres of Diamonds, I did some serious reflection as to the acres of diamonds that I might be overlooking in my own life. I decided to explore my work and my life to see if I possessed some acres of diamonds within.
We all own a brain free and clear. Just look at some of the amazing creations that have come from the minds of man: The Pyramids, the Wright brothers’ first flying machine and the first space capsule that landed on the moon sixty or more years later, medicines of all sorts for all kinds of ailments, art and literature, music and drama, structures and sculptors, computers that function at blazing speed, technological inventions in such abundance, and many millions of other beneficial creations. All of this came from the mind of mankind.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said, “Proceed as though limits to our abilities do not exist.” Some in our world have taken this Jesuit priest’s words to heart. Our abilities are limitless. We are capable of learning dozens of languages, memorizing volumes of encyclopedias, and that is just scratching the surface of our mental capabilities.
Now, how about you? What interests you, today, right now? What are your natural inclinations? What catches your attention when it comes to your life’s work? Have you had a thought about a better way of doing things, even something simple? Are you good with your hands? Are you a people person? Do you like computers? Are there new and innovative computer programs just awaiting your unique touch of creativity?
It all begins with the seed of an idea. Maybe your acres of diamonds are just below the surface of your conscious mind waiting to burst forth. Let’s go digging in our own backyards and see if we can uncover some of our acres of diamonds.
Here is what I’ve discovered in digging around in my own life. My "acres of diamonds" is to find ways to offer hope, encouragement, and inspiration one word at a time. I am happiest when I am in the people business.
The main question I grapple with on a daily basis is “how can I develop my people skills to a higher degree?” How can I better interact with every person with whom I come into contact? I want to find a way to make every person I meet feel important.
What about you? Have you found your acres of diamonds? Spend some time digging around in your own life. Pay attention to where your mind wanders when you have idle time. Notice your thought patterns. You’ll soon tune into ideas and thoughts that may well lead you to your Acres of Diamonds.
(To order a copy of Acres of Diamonds, please visit UP-Words Bookstore. The link is on the right side of this blog and can be found on page 2, upper left corner.)
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
The man who purchased Ali Hafed’s farm led his camel one day to drink from a garden brook, and as the camel put its nose into the shallow water, the new owner noticed a flash of red and blue light from the white sands of the stream. He pulled out a black stone that looked particularly appealing, took it home and placed it on his mantel and forgot about it.
A few days later an old priest visited the new land owner, and upon entering the man’s home he saw the black stone on the mantle he cried out, “Here is a diamond! Has Ali Hafed returned?”
As it turned out, Ali Hafed had owned acres of diamonds all along, yet he overlooked them and went off searching for what he already owned. The moral of the story: “what acres of diamonds do you already possess? What is beneath your feet, what talents do you already possess, what is within you that could become your acres of diamonds?”
Everyone stands in the middle of his own acres of diamonds. All we have to do is open our minds to see the abundance of opportunities before us?
Gemologists tell us that diamonds don’t look like diamonds in their rough state. They take polishing and chipping away the excess to get to the real value in a rock of diamonds. Can you relate to that?
Thirty years ago I was an aspiring writer and speaker with a lot of desire but not a lot of skill. Now, with practice and an investment of time I’ve developed some skills in these crafts. At one time my talents were so rough you would hardly recognize them as budding potentialities, but now, twenty or thirty years later people actually pause to listen and read some stuff that I produce.
One day, a few years ago, after reading Acres of Diamonds, I did some serious reflection as to the acres of diamonds that I might be overlooking in my own life. I decided to explore my work and my life to see if I possessed some acres of diamonds within.
We all own a brain free and clear. Just look at some of the amazing creations that have come from the minds of man: The Pyramids, the Wright brothers’ first flying machine and the first space capsule that landed on the moon sixty or more years later, medicines of all sorts for all kinds of ailments, art and literature, music and drama, structures and sculptors, computers that function at blazing speed, technological inventions in such abundance, and many millions of other beneficial creations. All of this came from the mind of mankind.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said, “Proceed as though limits to our abilities do not exist.” Some in our world have taken this Jesuit priest’s words to heart. Our abilities are limitless. We are capable of learning dozens of languages, memorizing volumes of encyclopedias, and that is just scratching the surface of our mental capabilities.
Now, how about you? What interests you, today, right now? What are your natural inclinations? What catches your attention when it comes to your life’s work? Have you had a thought about a better way of doing things, even something simple? Are you good with your hands? Are you a people person? Do you like computers? Are there new and innovative computer programs just awaiting your unique touch of creativity?
It all begins with the seed of an idea. Maybe your acres of diamonds are just below the surface of your conscious mind waiting to burst forth. Let’s go digging in our own backyards and see if we can uncover some of our acres of diamonds.
Here is what I’ve discovered in digging around in my own life. My "acres of diamonds" is to find ways to offer hope, encouragement, and inspiration one word at a time. I am happiest when I am in the people business.
The main question I grapple with on a daily basis is “how can I develop my people skills to a higher degree?” How can I better interact with every person with whom I come into contact? I want to find a way to make every person I meet feel important.
What about you? Have you found your acres of diamonds? Spend some time digging around in your own life. Pay attention to where your mind wanders when you have idle time. Notice your thought patterns. You’ll soon tune into ideas and thoughts that may well lead you to your Acres of Diamonds.
(To order a copy of Acres of Diamonds, please visit UP-Words Bookstore. The link is on the right side of this blog and can be found on page 2, upper left corner.)
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
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