We all need a mentor or a coach in our lives, no matter who we are. One of my mentors is the late Earl Nightingale. He was a master storyteller and I’d like to share a story that he told many years ago.
It was the story of an African farmer who had heard tales about the 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. So 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, as the story goes, worn-out and in a fit of despondency, he threw himself into a river and drowned.
Meanwhile, the man who had bought the farm happened to be crossing a small stream on the property. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of blue and red light from the stream’s bottom. He bent down, picked up a stone and marveled at its’ beauty. He decided to put it on his fireplace mantel as an interesting curiosity. Several weeks later, a visitor to his home picked up the stone and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he’d found. When the farmer said no, that he’d thought it was a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he’d found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farmer couldn’t believe it. He told the man that the creek bed out back was sprinkled with these stones.
Needless to say, the farm that the first farmer had sold so that he might find a diamond mine turned out to be the most productive diamond mine on the entire African continent. He 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 of the story is clear. If only the first farmer had 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.
Is it possible that right now you’re standing in the middle of your own acre of diamonds? The life that YOU live is the life that YOU built and you had your reasons for building it. If you’ll only have the wisdom and patience to explore your present situation, perhaps you might find the riches you seek whether they be financial, intangible or both. Before you go running off to what you think are greener pastures, make sure that your own is just as green if not even greener. It’s been said that if the other guy’s pasture appears to be greener than yours, it’s quite possible that it’s getting better care.
In a world where everything’s on overdrive (faster internet, drive through drug stores, instant downloads, breaking news) we want everything yesterday. This can be a recipe for disaster, as we tend to give up on things way too easily. The truth is that success in any endeavor takes time, commitment, awareness and patience. If you’re not happy with what you’ve created ask yourself this question, am I sitting on my own acres of diamonds and not seeing it or have I overstayed my welcome? Perhaps a change in attitude and focus might allow you to see just how green it is on your side of the fence?
Dr. Peter Percuoco is a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and a Keynote Speaker. With 30 years of experience, Dr. Percuoco has stepped out of the clinic and onto the stage to share his message of hope and potential inspiring people to be the best that they can be.
