Holiday Podcast Special - Finding Your Acres Of Diamonds (#36)

Steve Wells: [00:00:00] I'm Steve Wells. 

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:00:01] And I'm Jeffrey Feldberg. Welcome to the Sell My Business Podcast.

 Steve Wells: [00:00:06] This podcast is brought to you by the Deep Wealth Experience. When it comes to your liquidity event or exit, do you know how to maximize the value of your business? You have one chance to get it right, and you better make account.  Most business owners believe that business value is determined during the liquidity event.

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Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:01:39] Hey Steve. Happy holidays. How are you?

Steve Wells: [00:01:41] I'm good, Jeffrey. We are getting ready to jump into this rather hectic holiday season and just a few days, but looking forward to enjoying the family and having a week or so off to reflect and think and enjoy each other.

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:01:56] Ah, that sounds fantastic. It's been one different year to put that mildly and you know, for our community, as we thought about how we would wrap up this year from Deep Wealth, we wanted to do something different. And we came up with the idea of telling and sharing with you one of our favorite stories that we hope will have as much meaning for you on the business side, as it does on the personal side.

And the story that we selected, it's called Acres of Diamonds. And it's a true story that's told by Dr. Russell Conwell in 1869. And what you may not know is that Dr. Conwell, he's the founder of Temple University. And he told the Acres of Diamonds story over 6,000 times as a way to raise money, to create the university.

And so Acres of Diamonds is one of our favorite stories. And this story has kept us moving forward in our own challenging times. And we hope it will be as inspiration for you as you go through your journey. So, with that said, Steve, why don't we take it away?

Steve Wells: [00:02:56] So here's how the story goes. 

There once lived not far from the river Indus, an ancient Persian by the name of Ali Hafez. Ali owned a very big farm with orchards, green fields, gardens and streams. He was a wealthy and happy man. He was content because he was wealthy and wealthy because he was content. The farmer Ali was visited one day by a Buddhist priest who told Ali tales of other farmers who had made millions by discovering diamonds.

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:03:28] "With one diamond of the size of your thumb you could purchase the entire country. And with a few more, you could place your children upon thrones," said the priest greedy and excited. Ali asked, "how do I find these diamonds? I want to be immensely rich." 

And the priest responded, "go and find a river that runs through white sands between a high mountain in those white sands, you will always find diamonds."

"I don't believe there was such a river replied," Ali. 

" Oh yes. There are plenty of them. All you have to do is look," said the priest.

 Steve Wells: [00:04:05] That night, Alli did not sleep. Suddenly. He was unhappy and the wealth he had was no longer enough. So, he sold his farm, collected his money, left his family in the care of a neighbor and away he went in search of diamonds that were sure to make him happier than he was.

He went far and wide in the search, and found nothing. After years of search, he found himself penniless, exhausted, and ashamed of his failure. So, he threw himself in the ocean to die.

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:04:35] Meanwhile, the man who purchased Ali's farm one day led his camel into his gardens to enjoy the beauty of his new land. The camel stopped to drink water in the property's river. When Ali's successor noticed a curious flash of light from the white sands of the stream. A big stone reflecting all the colors of the rainbow.

It was the biggest diamond ever found. And as he looked again, he saw that the river was filled with acres and acres of diamonds.

 So, Steve, now that we finished our story and that's an abbreviated version of the much longer story, but the message is the same, what's the meaning for you? Why is this story, acres of diamonds, meaningful for you over the years?

Steve Wells: [00:05:21] Well, in business, there's so many times where you've plowed through a difficult situation and you are just about ready to give up and then around the next corner or in this story underneath that next rock is the value that you were looking for, the diamond in the rough.

So, I think the message for me, particularly this year and of the probably almost hundreds of business people, we've interviewed through our podcast. We see some common traits, but one of them is this the perseverance to not give up, to be a leader, to keep going, to look for the acres of diamonds, pivot, change, somehow, keep moving forward, and find that opportunity that could be just around the corner.

So, Jeffrey, what do you think, how does that apply to what you've seen this last year?

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:06:12] Well, not just this year, the acres of diamond story for me from the first time that I heard it, I just loved it because it sends a powerful message, both at the personal level and on the business level. It's become all too easy to chase after the next big thing and go after this and go after that and conquer and be on the move and do all of these things.

And the story for me is a very visceral reminder that oftentimes what we're really looking for, what we desire, what we want. It's right in front of us. We just don't see it. And like the farmer who went off to find his riches and lead that life that he wanted to live, even though he was already successful, his wealth, he walked on it every day.

He just never bothered to look. He never really prepared himself to see what that land was all about. Had he simply explored to see what was there. He would have found his acres of diamonds was right at his doorstep. And particularly this year, all of us, haven't been able to have that mobility and to move about like we usually would and travel.

It's a reminder of how the most precious and meaningful things in our lives are right in front of us. So for me, Steve, it's always been take a look around you that perhaps you're exactly where you should be, doing precisely. I see what you need to be doing, what you want to be doing because you are in your acres of diamonds.

If you simply take the time out to enjoy and take a look at what's around you and what you already have.

Steve Wells: [00:07:40] How true how true. So, such truth there. Thank you, Jeffrey.

 So, from the Deep Wealth family to your family, Emily, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:07:50] And may the New Year, has you find your acres of diamonds in all areas of your life. May you stay healthy and safe. 

God Bless.