About 15 years ago,

a colleague named Noah Rickun

mentioned the title, Acres of Diamonds.

I had never heard of it.

You may be thinking,

“Never heard of it?! It’s a classic!”

But if the name is new to you too,

Acres of Diamonds was a speech

delivered by Russel H. Conwell.

He delivered it thousands of times,

and eventually, it was published as a pamphlet.

In a nutshell, it’s the story

of a farmer who learns that

though he was encouraged to

look for diamonds in distant lands

(and sold his farm to do so),

all the while they were right there

in his own backyard.

When I did my book launch,

a lot of people told me

I had to do it X way or Y way….

They said I lacked what I needed.

At first, I panicked.

I started looking elsewhere.

But eventually I reminded myself

of what I already had.

I referenced Acres of Diamonds to my team

and the “Diamonds List” (as we came to call it)

became a critical factor in our success.

It’s easy to forget what you have

when people around you are

directing your attention elsewhere.

And here’s where it comes full circle.

When I made the “Diamonds List” for my book launch,

I reconnected with Noah.

Not only was he a wonderful support then,

but a year later, here in 2022,

he invited me to deliver a keynote

plus a workshop for a group of CEOs.

That took place this last week, on Oct 13.

So remember what you already have,

and cheers to the diamonds

in your own backyard.

Risk Forward and Rock On,