Acres of Diamonds: The grass is greener on the other side. That was what I thought before I took the ride

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This article came out of a great concern for a country, Nigeria, so rich and
endowed but its people still living from hand to mouth. Acres of diamond
was the title of a speech delivered by a minister named Russell Conwell. Everywhere he gave this speech, he was urged to repeat it, so much that he eventually repeated it
over 5,000 times, verbatim.
The story was about an African farmer who upon hearing from a travelling
merchant of people going into the interiors of Africa in search of diamonds the diamond rush. He became so excited that he sold his farm and organized
a caravan, then off he went with his team. After a while having lost money
and forsaken by his group, with all hopes lost he jumped into the ocean -
committing suicide, back at the farm with its new owner. The new farmer was feeding his donkey one day by a stream that cuts across the farm, when he found a shinning stone that threw off some light. After a few months, the same travelling merchant stopped by to pass the night at the farm. His eye caught the glance of the stone, then very excited and asked if the farmer was back. No
he was told, the old farmer has never been seen again.
The merchant picked up the stone and exclaimed,” this is diamond of great
price and value.” Though skeptical, the merchant insisted that he showed him
where he found the stone. They both went out to the place where he fed the donkey, as they searched around they found another diamond, then another and another. It turned out that the farm was sitting on acres of diamonds. The farmer went in search of diamond without ever looking at his own feet.
The morals of the story.
• How do you process information? At the root of your belief systems, ideologies, core values, philosophies and mindsets is information.
• Diamonds do not look like diamonds in their rough forms. They simply look like rocks to the uneducated eyes.
• Your acres of diamonds probably lie right under your own feet, but they are disguised as hard work. Opportunities come dressed in work clothes.
• your own acres of diamonds may lie be your talent(s), education, interest,
background, experience. Your acres of diamonds lie under your feet if you take time to recognize and go work on them.
Theodore Rosevelt once said,”do what you can, with what you have, right where
you are.” Not to forget in a hurry what Dr. David O.Oyedepo said, he said, ”
we are poor not because we are black but because we are blind.” And just in the
words of the Late Myles Munroe of blessed memory, when he came preaching for
the Bishop David Oyedepo, he said, Nigeria is so blessed that you can literally
pick money on the streets.
As a I conclude, let me leave you with the song of a secular singer, Adekunle
Gold, which he puts aptly like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
The grass is greener on the other side.
That was what I thought before I took the ride. I  burned my bridges so I’d never look back. The grass is greener when you water the ground. That’s what I found when I took the ride. I realize the mountain I have been climbing is nothing but sand. I didn’t know I already have the answers, oh! I didn’t know. If I had known the life I was searching for was looking me right in the eye, if I had known the life I was searching for was already my own.
Thank you and remain blessed
Adapted from  Russell Cromwell's Acres of diamonds.
Compiled by : Samuel Oluwadamilola