Dear Change Agent,
YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED.
I see you…
At conferences all over the country making connections & getting ideas.
At networking events all over the city looking for that next board member, volunteer or sponsor.
In the local and national media – asking for people, resources & greater awareness for your cause.
Using social media to attract new people, resources & attention for your cause.
You are looking to expand your network and reaching OUT to move forward. Wonderful!
And, there’s something else you need to know.
YOU ARE STANDING IN YOUR OWN ACRE OF DIAMONDS.
There’s a tale of an African farmer who sells his farm to seek riches in far off lands, only to die in despair. The new owner of his land finds he is standing on acres of diamonds. This may be new to you, and at the end of this love letter, you will find a couple of links you can use to read more about this impactful story.
“Each of us is, at this very moment, standing in the middle of our own acres of diamonds. If we had only had the wisdom and patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work in which we’re now engaged, to explore ourselves, we would most likely find the riches we seek, whether they be financial or intangible or both.”
– Earl Nightingale
YOU ARE STANDING IN YOUR OWN ACRES OF DIAMONDS.
Your donors.
Your partners.
Your sponsors.
Your board members.
Your volunteers.
Your staff.
Your clients.
Your neighbors.
Your friends.
Your family.
Your colleagues.
Checking In:
If you are, at this point, arguing that this doesn’t apply to you, that you have turned over every “rock in your network and haven’t found a diamond”, you have missed the point.
Come back to this truth.
YOU ARE STANDING IN YOUR OWN ACRE OF DIAMONDS.
How have your best people, resources & opportunities come to you? (Likely, through relationships)
Consider these 3 questions:
1. What questions do you need to ask yourself and others about the relationships most crucial to fulfilling your mission in the world?
2. What assumptions are you making, or have you made, about the relationships in your midst?
3. Who is nurturing the relationships most crucial to fulfilling your mission in the world?
YOU ARE STANDING IN YOUR OWN ACRES OF DIAMONDS – YOUR RELATIONSHIPS & PARTNERSHIPS.
I urge you to take time in the next few days to look, with fresh eyes and fresh questions, to the relationships and partnerships in your midst.
What you find may very well surprise and delight you.
More About Acres of Diamonds:
YOU ARE STANDING IN YOUR OWN ACRE OF DIAMONDS.
And I would happily be one of them for you.