Why You Must Focus on Your Immediate Environment

“We tour the world searching for what we need to come home to find.” –Andres Lara

Many people erroneously believe that it is always better on the other side of the fence than the side where they are. They think that there are always more diamonds in somebody else’s back-yard than theirs. This is wrong. It is always better to prospect and mine your own diamonds right where you are. In 1915, Mr. Russell Cornwell wrote a beautiful book called “Acres of Diamonds” which pointed out the mistakes people have made and are still making when they believe and act as if it is always better somewhere else. It is related in a story about Al Hafed. Al Hafed was a farmer who lived near River Indus in ancient Persia. He was happy and contented. He heard stories of the value and glory of diamonds and the power that goes with them. He was told about places where he could find diamonds for himself and he started dreaming of owning diamonds. He made up his mind to go in search of diamonds. The next morning, Al Hafed made arrangements to sell his farm, took care of his family and went in search of diamonds. He looked all over Africa and could not find diamonds. He looked in Europe and could not find any. Frustrated after a long and fruitless search, he committed suicide. Meanwhile, back home, the person who bought the farm Al Hafed sold soon discovered diamonds within the farm. He found out that the farm was covered with acres of diamonds.

From the moral of this story, it is clear that the grass may appear to always look greener on the other side of the fence but this is not always a true picture as the sad story of Al Hafed shows.

Why You Must not Believe in Defeat

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” –Thomas Edison

Chief Obafemi Awolowo a foremost Nigerian politician of blessed memory is widely quoted to have believed that “whatever happens to a man in this world whether good or bad is for his own good.” There is no experience in life no matter how unpleasant that does not teach us something. We profit by learning from such experiences and moving on. So it is with failures. If you have never failed at doing something in life, it is a pointer that you have never really made progress.

 

The lives of the greatest achievers in human civilization have been strewn with piles of failures. They learned from their failures and moved on to greatness. Mr. Abraham Lincoln who became the 16^th President of the United States in 1860 failed in Business at age 22, was defeated in Legislative Election at 23, failed in Business again at 24, lost a Sweetheart at 26, had a Nervous break-down at 27, was defeated for Speaker at 29, was defeated for Elector at 31, was defeated for Congress at 34, was defeated again for Congress at 39, was defeated for Senate at 46, was defeated for Vice President at 47, was defeated for Senate again at 49, and was finally elected President at 51. History records him as one of the greatest Presidents the United States has ever had.

You are not defeated when you get knocked down. You are defeated when you accept defeat by staying down. Boxers who get counted out are those who stay down when knocked down. This principle holds true in real life. Those who fail are those who accept failure as their lot. These are the ones who do not realize that “you do not drown by falling into water, you drown by staying there.” Do not accept “No” for an answer. Accept “No” for a question believing that the person telling you “No” wants to hear more from you before they make up their minds on the matter. Success always follows a series of failures and it usually comes when it is least expected. It is better to do some things and fail than to do nothing and succeed. Every failure teaches a lesson on the way to do things better. You progress and challenge yourself harder and farther when you are yet to succeed in doing what you have chosen to do. This is why you should never believe in defeat.