You are right on top of it

BY ELLEN ROHR
contributing writer

Russell Conwell gave a speech, the same speech, over 6,000 times. In it, he described a young man who gave up everything he had…his family farm, the family …to travel the world to find his fortune. He searched wide and far. Alas, he died penniless. His body was returned home where his heartbroken family dug his grave. And there they discovered the world’s largest diamond mine.

You have probably heard this story before. In 1890 the speech was transcribed into a book. Proceeds from the speeches and books sales helped Conwell build a fortune. With it, he founded Temple University in Philadelphia. He also funded two hospitals in the City of Brotherly Love, where no one was ever turned away for lack of money. He found his fortune doing what he loved, right where he was.

I don’t buy every point of Mr. Conwell’s pro-wealth, anti-poverty argument. And don’t get me started on the diamond industry. However, this book is a self-help classic and you might want to form your own opinion about his philosophy. Here’s the link.

 

On this we agree: All good things are possible. And I also believe that we have everything we need to create a fortune offering our unique gifts and services to our fellow man.

Here’s my version of the Acres of Diamonds story…

The other day one of my clients – let’s call him Abby – was talking about a prominent contractor in his market. Let’s call him Norm. Abby said, “If only I had a service manager like Norm. That’s why he’s so successful. I can barely get to the calls I get every day. There’s no time to train the other fellows on my team. And when it comes to the paperwork, forget it. I would have to stay up all night to keep up.” Abby would have listed his woes for another half hour – that’s a bit of a time waster.

I interrupted, “Abby, it’s funny because I just visited with Norm a few days ago. He was complaining about an acquisition that fell through. He told me that that acquisition was the key to his next level growth. Norm was stressing about how he was going to increase calls, because acquisition is a great way to get more calls. However, it’s not a magic bullet. Norm could make better use of the calls he is getting, and do a better job training his team. He could pursue another acquisition. There is always something you can do – right now and right where you are – to get you where you want to go.

“I’ll share you what I shared with Norm. You are sitting on Acres of Diamonds.”

Are you searching wide and far?

How about you? Are you chasing the latest management fad? Are you looking for the one thing you might be missing that will make it all better? The magic bullet? Or maybe you’re just on the “hamster wheel” trying to get different results from doing the same things…faster and faster.

I am not being judgmental. I am discovering these behaviors in my life. The great news is that I am challenging what I assumed to be true. Is it true that growing my business is going to be hard and take lots of hours? If that’s true how come there are people who are successful and seem to have lots of free time? Have you ever been delightfully surprised by something that you wanted that came to you, out of the blue, with seemingly little effort on your part? I have. Look back and find a moment like that. Great stuff happens to us all the time. We are often too busy complaining to notice.

I am finding that the clearer I get about what I want the easier it is to move in that direction. It’s easier to say, “No,” to things that don’t align with my vision.

We can ask ourselves, “Is it a lack of information? Or is it a lack of willingness? Are you willing to take action on information that will move you to your dreams? Because the information is available. You may even have it already. Certainly, you can get the information you may be missing.

How about if we just quit talking about the things in life that are going wrong? Of course, you’ll notice them. As you notice, ask yourself, “What would I rather experience?” Think about what you want and gain clarity on it. Then, consider…what could you do differently that will give you a different result? And take action. Take action in the belief that your life is an extension of what you think and what you do.

Here’s an exercise that can help you gain clarity. I call it the Perfect Life Exercise.

Create your Perfect Life…on paper. Take a deep breath. Let it out…and calm your mind. Then, ask yourself, “What do I want?” and listen for the very first thoughts that come to mind. Write them down without judgment. Notice your feelings as you write the words. If it feels good, you are on the right track.

• Start with when you wake up…and move through each hour of the day. Jot down thoughts, descriptions of what the Perfect Life would be like. How would you spend it? With whom? Where? Would you work? What does your company look like? How many people? How much money? How much time would you spend with your family?

• For inspiration, you may want to go to a bookstore. Visit the magazine rack. Buy a dozen magazines specializing in the kinds of things and activities that inspire you. Check out the travel section of the store. Buy a book, or a map, about a place you want to visit or live. You can also search the Internet and print out pictures and pages on things you want to have and things you want to do. Pay attention to what inspires you, to what makes your heart beat faster.

• Contemplate how a business fits into your Perfect Life. What does it look like, smell like, feel like? What kind of work do you do? Who are your customers? How much time would you spend in your business? What hours would you work…ideally? Write it down. Find pictures that capture how you see this business. Incorporate business elements into your Perfect Life.

• Write it all down. Add the picture pages. This is your Perfect Life.

Acknowledge what you have created already and be grateful for it. Lots of things are going right for you…are just perfect as they are! Next, look at what you still want to create. Could you take action in this direction? Could you find the information you need and act on it? Sure you could.

If it feels good just imaging this life, then imagine it. Stop focusing on (obsessing about?) the areas of your life that aren’t working. Notice how many elements of the Perfect Life you have going for you already. Isn’t the reason why you want what you don’t have is that you think it will make you happier? What if instead of waiting for the diamond mine to appear, you chose to be happy right now?

If you find that you need some information to take the next step, send me a video explaining your challenge. What’s the problem? Send your video to me at contact@barebonesbiz.com or post on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/barebonesbiz I’ll pick a few videos a month and reply with a video that solves the problem. I’ll get you the information you need. That takes away that excuse. Then…let’s see if you are willing to take action. You’ll get only love and support from me as you dig for your “diamonds.”

“When you determine what you want, you have made the most important decision of your life. You have to know what you want in order to attain it.”

~ Douglas Lurton

One more thing…

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