[powerpress]
This is how you find your best opportunity
- Do you really need to go back to school to unlock your dream?
- Can you find the seed of your best opportunity in what you’re doing now?
- Has all of your experience up to now been a waste?
- Are you really “starting over” or just ready to benefit from your preparation?
You are, at this moment, standing right in the middle of your own ‘acres of diamonds.’ — Earl Nightingale (Click to Tweet)
To prospect your own acres of diamonds and unearth the opportunities that exist in your life right now, regularly challenge yourself with some key questions:
- If you stepped out of what you’re doing today and walked in the room as an outsider, what would you see?
- How good are you at what you’re presently doing?
- How would your work stand up against the work of others in your field?
- Do you know all you can about your industry or profession?
- How can you increase your service?
- What are 5 better ways to do what you’re presently doing?
- How will your work be performed 20 years from now?
- Everything in the world is in a state of evolution and improvement. How can you do now what will eventually be done anyway?
Show Notes:
In this episode, Dan Miller discusses Russel Conwell’s “Acres of Diamonds” speech. Dan takes us into his own story as well as his clients’ stories of how they, too, found their own “Acres of Diamonds”. Unearthing your own value can be just what you need to make that pivotal turn in your life this coming year of 2017. Listen as Dan encourages us with several success stories and guides us with what we need to find our own precious stones.
Sponsored By:
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Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:44 – Preview of Today’s Show on This is how you find your best opportunity
- Do you really need to go back to school to unlock your dream?
- Can you find the seed of your best opportunity in what you’re doing now?
- Has all of your experience up to now been a waste?
- Are you really “starting over” or just ready to benefit from your preparation?
- “You are, at this moment, standing right in the middle of your own ‘Acres of Diamonds’.” – Earl Nightingale
- 02:18 – “Acres of Diamonds” was a speech told by Russell Herman Conwell
- 02:30 – He was an American Baptist minister, order, philanthropist, lawyer, writer, founder and first president of Temple University
- 02:40 – The inspiration for this essay came in 1869 while he was traveling in the Middle East
- 02:54– Before his death, he delivered his speech 6152 times around the world
- 03:20 – Since his death, the proceeds from his speech have been dedicated to a homeless shelter in Philadelphia
- 03:30 – Dan gives a background on the clip from “Acres of Diamonds”
- 04:37 – Dan plays the “Acres of Diamonds” clip
- 05:24 – “Acres of Diamonds” (FULL audiobook) 2 hours 19 mins. long
- 06:06 – Dan tells us the story of “Acres of Diamonds”
- 06:09 – A true story of an African farmer who heard tales of other farmers discovering diamond mines
- 06:26 – The farmer sold his farm to wander around the continent and search for diamonds; unfortunately, he was unsuccessful
- 06:42 – The farmer drowned himself in a river after being worn out
- 06:47 – The man who bought his farm crossed the stream on his property one day
- 06:54 – Something really bright caught the man’s eye from the bottom of the stream
- 07:03 – He picked up the stone, brought it home, and placed it on his fireplace mantle
- 07:09 – Several weeks later, somebody walked in and inspected the stone
- 07:17 – The man who inspected the stone asked the farmer if he knew what he had found
- 07:25 – The farmer thought it was just a piece of crystal
- 07:33 – It turned out that he found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered
- 07:54 – The first farmer had “Acres of Diamonds”, but he decided to look for them elsewhere
- 08:31 – People always think that the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence”
- 08:54 – “We ignore the value of what we’re doing”
- 09:00 – Earl Nightingale told a story about a man in Arizona who began with a small gas station
- 09:05 – One day, while his attendant filled a gas tank, he watched the customer as he stood there waiting
- 09:15 – He realized that man would pay for things he needed if they were conveniently displayed where he could see them while his car was being worked on
- 09:29 – He began displaying items
- 09:42 – He added an auto-parts department, cold softdrinks, candies, and chocolates
- 10:02 – All products he sold also guaranteed more gas customers
- 10:31 – Dan shares a story of a dentist he had worked with in the past
- 10:38 – He left dentistry 3x because he hated it so much
- 10:42 – The last time he had left, he purchased a printing franchise
- 10:50 – He ended up filing personal bankruptcy and crawled back to dentistry
- 11:01 – Dan asked him how he ended up in dentistry
- 11:04 – His reason—he didn’t want to take medicine, but wanted to do something where he can wear nice clothes, make decent money, and own a business
- 11:45 – Dan asked where the struggle was with independent dentists
- 11:55 – The struggle was in finding dental supplies and chairs
- 12:06 – Dan suggested that he become a broker for the supplies a dentist would need
- 12:59 – The man went to suppliers and checked if they would give discounts for his recommendations – and they said, “YES”
- 13:13 – He went back to the dentists and set-up a $21/month co-op fee for his services which yielded $21K/month for the thousand customers he served
- 14:28 – Dan also tells us his own “Acres of Diamonds” story
- 14:31 – 10 years ago, Dan wrote the book, 48 Days to the Work You Love
- 14:50 – He started looking at his greatest opportunities
- 14:54 – He realized how the basic message of his book resonated with a lot of people
- 15:16 – Dan realized he left it behind to do other things
- 15:19 – He came back to 48 Days to the Work You Love
- 16:08 – How do you find your own “Acres of Diamonds”?
- 16:16 – Diamond mining
To prospect your own “Acres of Diamonds” and unearth the opportunities that exist in your life right now, regularly challenge yourself with some key questions:
- If you stepped out of what you’re doing today and walked in the room as an outsider, what would you see?
- How good are you at what you’re presently doing?
- How would your work stand up against the work of others in your field?
- Do you know all you can about your industry or profession?
- How can you increase your service?
- What are 5 better ways to do what you’re presently doing?
- How will your work be performed 20 years from now?
- Everything in the world is in a state of evolution and improvement. How can you do now what will eventually be done anyway?
- 18:43 – Download our free book – “Acres of Diamonds”
- 19:02 – “Acres of Diamonds” (FULL audiobook) 2 hours 19 mins.
- 19:12 – Lead the Field – audio program by Earl Nightingale based on the “Acres of Diamonds” story
- 19:31 – “You are, at this moment, standing right in the middle of your own ‘Acres of Diamonds’.” – Earl Nightingale
- 19:54 – Dan closes today’s podcast
3 Key Points:
- We all have our own “Acres of Diamonds” – we just have to do the work of finding them.
- We need to let go of what is on the other side of the fence to see and appreciate what we have before us.
- Your experience thus far is NOT a waste, consider it as preparation that you can now “harvest” for your benefit.
Resources Mentioned:
- To ask Dan a question for the podcast – AskDan
- The new 48 Days Eagles membership site – just get on the list for upcoming information
- https://www.48days.com/experience Dan’s premiere coaching process
- Free Goal Setting Worksheets https://www.48days.com/goals
- Our free book – “Acres of Diamonds”
- “Acres of Diamonds” (FULL audiobook)
- Lead the Field – audio program by Earl Nightingale based on the “Acres of Diamonds” story
- Coaching with Excellence
Credits:
- Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
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