Fields of Diamonds

Let me tell you the story of a farmer in Africa who had a smallholding and spent his life searching for riches while ignoring what was right in front of him.

This is one of my favourite, supposedly true-life stories. It had a profound impact on me, and I refer back to it whenever I need to be reminded of the lesson it taught.

Now you're probably wondering how this will help you deal with overwhelming emails, bosses, colleagues, and other time-consuming tasks that make you feel like you can't survive, let alone thrive.

Always remember, time is the only thing you can’t get back once it’s gone. But I digress. Please stay with me. It’s a great story with many real-world applications.

Back to our hard-working farmer. For context, this farmer is not like Jeremy Clarkson. This farmer is dirt poor, with no money and working long hours just to put food on the table. I’m sure you get the picture.

Now, at this time, stories were circulating around the country of diamond mines being discovered. Bringing the finders great wealth and prosperity. After a particularly hard day in the field tending a failing crop, our farmer decided he’d had enough.

He puts his smallholding up for sale. Now it’s not very big, and indeed he feels it is quite insignificant given the size of Africa. He finds a buyer and accepts their offer. Excited, he packs his meagre possessions and hits the road in search of the “big one”. That’s the diamond field that will bring him riches beyond his dreams, and oh boy, could he dream.

So, he set off on his new adventure, brimming with hope and enthusiasm. He looked everywhere for the rest of his life. Sadly, he died without a penny and never discovered that elusive field of diamonds.

Meanwhile, the buyer of that small, insignificant smallholding had a very different life. As one day, whilst walking around his fields, he was looking down into a stream when he saw something glinting back at him.

Curious, he waded into the cool water and fished out the sparking rock. And yes, you have guessed it. That stone was one of the largest single diamonds ever found in Africa. The farm yielded more diamonds over the following years. The new owner lived a life way beyond anything he could have possibly dreamed of.

Joy for one and sadness and despair for the other.

The moral of this story is to always start with what you have right in front of you. Don’t get distracted by the prospect of new shiny things promising Utopia just over the next hill.

It’s so easy to waste your life running from one thing to the next, hoping to find the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Today, it is easy to become distracted while looking for the next productivity app or methodology. I know. I’ve fallen into this trap many times. The constantly rewriting of to-do lists and buying a new app that promises instant karma as long as you spend weeks learning to set it up. Or my personal weakness, watching endless YouTube experts.

Although this can be a lot of fun, it will suck up the precious time you have available to get things done. If you are feeling overwhelmed, then getting yourself organised is the right place to begin. But getting started is crucial. Find a methodology that feels right for you and stick to it.

I will let you in on a secret. There is no silver bullet; no system is perfect. Do enough to get yourself organised so you can recognise the next big thing you need to accomplish. And then just get on with it.

Don’t create a novel way to resign by reducing the time you have available, which then adds to your stress. It’s a self-inflicted wound that won’t help you thrive.