02/09/2017
OPPORTUNITY
Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work – Thomas Edison.
An old farmer became excited one day after hearing from a travelling merchant about men who had travelled to Africa, discovered diamond mines and had become fabulously rich. He decided to sell off his farm and head off into Africa to grab his share of the diamond wealth. For many years, he combed the interior of the continent looking for the diamonds. Eventually, he ran out of money, was abandoned by all and committed su***de in his desperation.
Meanwhile, on the land he had sold, the new farmer was out one day watering his donkey by a stream that ran through the farm. He suddenly saw a stone reflecting sunlight in an unusual way. He took it home and kept it in his fireplace. One day the same merchant stopped by for the night and happened to see the stone. He immediately got excited and asked if the old farmer had returned from Africa. As the farmer explained the origin, the merchant just kept shaking his head in unbelief. That was a huge diamond of really great value. They ran together to the stream and found to their surprise that there were many more diamonds littered around.
He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed - William James.
The story of Acres of Diamonds, first told by Russell Conwell and repeated thousands of times, typifies an important aspect of opportunity. Many times we tend to look everywhere else rather than inside our own lives in the false belief that there are no opportunities there. It is said that the grass always looks greener on the other side. Several people in developing countries line up at embassies of foreign countries and sometimes even pay thousands of dollars illegally to conmen just to help them get visas to travel abroad. They often end up doing the most menial jobs under the illusion that it is the only way to become wealthy and successful.
Similarly, many people are steeped in prejudice about the career options that they believe are financially more rewarding. They therefore easily abandon whatever they are building systematically in order to migrate into what is supposed to be far more lucrative. Like the old farmer in the story, these travellers and economic migrants often end up disappointed and disillusioned by the results they get. They sometimes find out, when it is too late, that they were better off staying where they were. Sadly, people like that often fail to learn the important lessons from their experiences and therefore keep repeating their mistakes.
Opportunities in life are like mineral ores. They often look rough and dirty and show very little promise when they are first discovered. It is only when they are refined and polished with time and effort that they become the finished article that everyone craves for. Of course, by that time, those who had the foresight to see the opportunities from afar and buy into them will be far ahead, and rightly so.
God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest - Swedish Proverb.
The difficult assignment everyone seems to be running from could be your last test for your long-awaited promotion. The diligent, honest young man whose business proposal you may be stalling on because of his present financial challenges could become the millionaire partner you have always wanted. The small business you have painstakingly grown for the past couple of years may be a multinational conglomerate in the making. Have a keen sense of judgment and don’t miss your opportunities when they come.
Key Thought: Lord, open my eyes to see the opportunities that lie all around me. Give me the courage to dig up the raw ore and polish it till it becomes the pure gold of success.
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Culled from “101 Keys to Achievement and Fulfilment” by Albert & Comfort Ocran © 2008
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