You Might be Standing on Acres of Diamonds

"Acres of Diamonds" is a story by Russell H. Conwell. It's about a wealthy farmer, Ali Hafed, who sells his farm to search for diamonds overseas after hearing about their value. Despite his long search, he doesn't find any and dies in despair. Meanwhile, the new owner of Hafed's sold farm discovers a diamond in a stream, revealing the original farm to be rich in diamonds. The story highlights the often overlooked opportunities in one's own backyard, urging people to recognize the value close to home before seeking fortune elsewhere.

One of the questions that should be asked each month when you are reviewing and tracking your business is, “what resources do I currently have that are under utilized?”

So many times we go out seeking, new, fresh, flashy initiatives or solutions when something that we have already have could be used to solve the problem. This could be software that you already pay for, but have not explored all of the features. This could be tools that your brokerage offers that you have not tapped into. This could time that your are currently spending doing an activity (like driving), where you could add in learning through audio books or educational courses.

Think about the various tools, resources, vendors, relationships, capital (money) and time available to you currently, and each month ask yourself if there are ways that you could be maximizing your return on these (or make more win-win in terms of your relationships).

You just might find a few diamonds laying around that you had never noticed in the past.