Acres of Diamonds

Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them. -RUSSELL H. CONWELL

Few motivational talks have influenced or inspired as many people as the famous Victorian lecture that was known as "Acres of Diamonds." Russell H. Conwell, a former newspaper correspondent and minister, delivered his speech more than six thousand times between 1877 and 1925. When it was published it became an immediate best-seller and a classic in inspirational literature.

The story Conwell told in his lecture had enormous appeal. It recount­ed the life of a Persian farmer named Ali Hafed who sold his farm and left his family to travel the world in search of wealth. He looked everywhere but he could not find the diamonds he lusted after. Finally, alone and in despair as a homeless pauper, he ended his own life. His search for riches had consumed him.

In the meantime, the man who bought the land from Hafed was grateful for every blade of grass that was now his and lavished love and hard work on his farm. At night, surrounded by his family and eat­ing the fruits of his labor, he was a contented man. Finally one day he made a remarkable discovery. In the backyard that Ali Hafed had abandoned was a diamond mine-literally an acre of diamonds. The simple farmer became wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

Conwell used this parable to illustrate an extraordinary and wonderful message: within each of us lies a wellspring of abundance and the seeds of opportunity. For each of us there is a deeply personal dream waiting to be discovered and fulfilled. When we cherish our dream and then invest love, creative energy, perseverance, and passion in ourselves, we will achieve an authentic success.

Where is your acre of diamonds? If you could do anything in the world, what would it be? Yes, that very thing right now that you believe is impos­sible! Would you open a store, nurture a family, design a dress, write a screenplay?

We all have an acre of diamonds waiting to be discovered, cherished, and mined. We all have a place from where to begin. Let your imagination soar, for it is your soul's blueprint for success. On the Simple Abundance path you will discover that your own opportunity for personal success, authen­tic happiness, and financial serenity is as close as your own backyard.

Source - Simple Abundance