Occupation Dreamland

I watched the DVD "Occupation Dreamland" about the war in Iraq.

Synopsis

In January, 2004, in Al-Falluja, Iraq, a documentary film crew follows an infantry squad of the 82nd Airborne, US Army. Cameras accompany the squad of seven on day and night patrols, as they watch their backs, kick down doors, search for weapons, interrogate women, detain a few people, and listen to the complaints of locals. At their barracks, a former Baathist retreat called Dreamland, the men talk: about why they enlisted, civilian prospects, feelings about the war and Iraqis, where they were when a comrade died a few weeks before. We see them wait for translators and try a few words of Arabic; we hear their frustrations. We watch them pressured to reenlist. Tensions mount in Falluja.

A Little Pencil

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." - Mother Teresa

Blackhawks Game

I went to a Chicago Blackhawks game with my youngest son. It was his first Blackhawks game. Before the game I took his picture in front of the Michael Jordan statue. We walked around the United Center before the game started and I ran into a guy I use to work with 8 years ago. The Blackhawks played the Columbus Blue Jackets. We met the Ice Crew before the game and he got an autographed picture. Tommy Hawk, the mascot sat by us for the beginning of the game. The Blackhawks won 3 to 1. I received the tickets free from WCKG www.wckg.com as a birthday gift. We got home from the United Center at about 10:30 p.m.

Game Summary

The Blackhawks scored twice within 21 seconds in the opening period and Martin Havlat ended a 13-game goal scoring drought as Chicago snapped a six-game skid to beat Columbus 3-1 at the United Center Friday. Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook assisted on all three goals, blocked 4 shots and dished out four checks to earn the game's #1 star.His defensive partner, Duncan Keith, also blocked four shots and led all skaters with 29+ minutes in addition to being awarded the first Chicago penalty shot in four years. The Hawks have not scored on a penalty shot at home for 20 years since Troy Murray turned the trick against Minnesota. Keith was pulled down on a breakaway by Fredrik Modin midway through the final period. His penalty shot was stopped by former Hawk goalie Brian Boucher with a leg save. The contest was scoreless through almost 15 minutes of the game with the Blue Jackets' Geoff Platt having the best chance at 7:30 when Patrick Lalime denied his 10-footer. Seabrook picked up his first assist on a 40-footer that was stopped by Boucher, but Patrick Sharp pounced on the rebound to jam in his 19th of the season at 14:55. Havlat made it 2-0 less than 30 seconds later with his 25th goal. Rene Bourque got a pass from Seabrook and fed Havlat up the slot. His 25-footer blew past Boucher for his first score since February 25. In the 2nd period on a Columbus power play at 11:12, the Hawks' Denis Arkhipov broke out of his own zone after another Seabrook pass on a 2 on 1. He got the puck across to Martin Lapointe and the Chicago veteran beat Boucher with a shot in the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead. It was Lapointe's 13th of the campaign and the Hawks 11th shorthanded tally of the year. The Blue Jackets got their lone goal of the night on a power play plus a delayed penalty 44 seconds later. Jason Chimera's 14th of the season came on a 15-foot drive up the slot. The goal gave the visitors renewed jump, but Lalime was sharp in stopping three scoring opportunities by Modin and another on a rebound by Rick Nash.
Columbus outshot the Hawks 32-25 and were 1 of 6 on the power play while the Hawks were 0-2. In the last power play attempt at 18:51 of the final period, Columbus pulled Boucher for an extra forward to give them a two-man advantage but failed to beat Lalime. Hawks coach Denis Savard felt his best players played a strong game and Lalime was good in the nets.

http://www.chicagoblackhawks.com/

Change Your Thoughts

"Change your thoughts, and you change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale

It's Always Your Choice

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice." - Wayne Dyer

Beginning Today

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again." - Og Mandino

Happiness

"Happiness is a state of activity." - Aristotle

Understand

"In youth we learn; in age we understand." — Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

Surprise Party

My wife and brother had a surprise birthday party for me last night at my brother's house. We got there at 7:30 p.m. and stayed until 3:00 a.m. My wife invited my old drinking buddies from high school and one of my roommates from college. They all showed up with their wives. One of my cousins and his family came and my aunt and uncle. My whole family was there and so was my wife's whole family except for one of her brothers. I knew we were having a get together but I didn't know she invited so many people. We had Italian Beef, Italian Sausage, Mostaccioli, Egg Rolls, Pasta Salad and plenty to drink. There was karaoke. It was a great party and a great time.

Try A Thing You Haven't Done Three Times

"Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not." - Virgil Thomson

I Am Not Afraid Of Tomorrow

"I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today." - William Allen White

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls

I watched the DVD "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls." The screenplay was by Roger Ebert and I was always curious to see it. The language was really dated and it was pretty bizarre.

Synopsis

A hip and happenin' all girl rock group head to LA to claim lead-singer Kelly's inheritance and make it (and make it) in LA. They immediately fall under the spell of rock'n'roll Svengali, the 'Teen Tycoon' of rock Ronnie 'Z-Man' Barzell, and other rapacious Hollywood party types as lustful porno actress Ashley St Ives, ravenous lesbian Roxanne and shady lawyer Porter Hall. Soon the girls fall into a morass of drugs and deceit as their recording success soars. It takes several tragedies to make them stop and think... but is it too late?

Hour Of Living

"He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses." - Horace

Transamerica

We watched the DVD "Transamerica."

Synopsis

Bree (Felicity Huffman) is days away from a dream she has focused on for years — the completion of her gender reassignment surgery. Her plans come to a grinding halt when she receives a call from New York and discovers she has a son, and that he has been picked up by the police. Bree’s closest friend and therapist, Margaret (Elizabeth Peña) tells Bree she has to deal with her past before she can move into her future. Reluctantly, Bree springs Toby (Kevin Zegers) from jail under the pretense that she’s a missionary worker. Toby begs Bree to take him with her to Los Angeles, and so they set out, each hiding their true motives and identities.

Giordano's Pizza

We celebrated our birthdays at Giordano's Pizza in Downer's Grove. I had a coupon for $20.00 off so the pizza didn't cost anything. Their deep dish pizza is my favorite. I'll have the leftover pieces for lunch and dinner tomorrow.

Middle Age

"Middle age is when you have a choice of two temptations and choose the one that will get you home earlier." - Anonymous

The Mission

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past — frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Goal setting tips

Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

I’m going to complete my own list of 101 Things in 1001 Days

50 things I've learned in 50 years

50 things I've learned in 50 years, a partial list in no particular order
I’m turning 50 next week. So I thought I’d take the opportunity here to list 50 things I’ve learned in 50 years—truths gleaned from experience and the words of others that guide, inspire and sometimes haunt me:

1. It’s better to sing off key than not to sing at all.

2. Promptness shows respect.

3. You can’t avoid offending people from time to time. When you don’t mean it, apologize. When you do mean it, accept the consequences.

4. The first person to use the expression “Get a life!” in any dispute is the loser.

5. The medium is not the message. Those who issue blanket condemnations of any form of communication—be it TV, tabloids, text messages or blogs—simply aren’t paying attention.

6. The most valuable thing to have is a good reputation, and it’s neither hard nor expensive to acquire one: Be fair. Be honest. Be trustworthy. Be generous. Respect others.

7. Prejudice and bigotry is hard-wired into us. You can’t overcome it until you acknowledge it.

8. Don’t be bothered when people don’t share your tastes in music, sports, literature, food and fashion. Be glad. You’d never get tickets to anything otherwise.

9. Cough syrup doesn’t work.

10. Empathy is the greatest virtue. From it, all virtues flow. Without it, all virtues are an act.

11. The Golden Rule is the greatest moral truth. If you don’t believe in it, at least try to fake it.

12. Keeping perspective is the greatest key to happiness. From a distance, even a bumpy road looks smooth.

13. You can’t win arguing with police officers or referees, but every so often you can fight City Hall.

14. It’s not “political correctness” that dictates that we try not to insult others’ beliefs and identities. It’s common decency.

15. It may not feel like it, but it’s good luck when you have people at home and at work who aren’t afraid to tell you when you’re wrong.

16. It’s 10 times easier to fall in love than to stay in love. And no matter what the sad songs say about romance, broken hearts do mend.

17. Don’t waste your breath proclaiming what’s really important to you. How you spend your time says it all.

18. Keeping an open mind is as big a challenge as you get older as keeping a consistent waistline.

19. It’s never a shame when you admit you don’t know something, and often a shame when you assume that you do.

20. Wounds heal faster under bandages than they do in the open air.

21. Fear of failure is a ticket to mediocrity. If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not pushing yourself. And if you’re not pushing yourself, you’re coasting.

22. Anyone who judges you by the kind of car you drive or shoes you wear isn’t someone worth impressing.

23. Grudges are poison. The only antidote is to let them go.

24. If you’re in a conversation and you’re not asking questions, then it’s not a conversation, it’s a monologue.

25. In everyday life, most “talent” is simply hard work in disguise.

26. Great parents can have rotten kids and rotten parents can have great kids. But even though biology plays a huge role in destiny, that’s no excuse to give up or stop trying.

27. Four things that most people think are lame but really are a lot of fun: barn dancing, charades, volleyball and sing-alongs.

28. Two cheap, easy self-improvement projects: Develop a strong handshake and start smiling when you answer the phone.

29. When something that costs less than $200 breaks and it’s not under warranty and you can’t fix it yourself in half an hour, it’s almost certainly more cost-effective to throw it out.

30. Most folk remedies are nonsense, but zinc really does zap colds.

31. Physical attraction is nice, but shared values and a shared sense of humor are the real keys to lasting love.

32. To keep dental visits regular, schedule your next appointment on your way out from your last appointment.

33. The 10-minute jump start is the best way to get going on a big task you’ve been avoiding. Set a timer and begin, promising yourself that you’ll quit after 10 minutes and do something else. The momentum will carry you forward.

34. Laundry day is much easier when all your socks are the same and you don’t have to sort them.

35. Candor is overrated. It’s hard to unsay what you’ve said in anger and almost impossible to take back what you’ve written.

36. Goals that you keep to yourself are just castles on the beach. If you’re determined to achieve something, tell people about it and ask them to help you stick with it.

37. Mental illness is as real as diabetes, arthritis or any other disease, and no more disgraceful. It’s the stigma that’s disgraceful.

38. In crisis or conflict, always think and act strategically. Take time to figure out what the “winning” outcome is for you, then work toward it.

39. All the stuff you have lying around that you’ll never want, need, wear or look at again? It just makes it harder to find what you do want, need or intend to wear. File it, donate it or throw it out.

40. Exercise does not take time. Exercise creates time.

41. Almost no one stretches, flosses or gives compliments often enough.

42. It pays to keep handy a list that includes a trusted plumber, electrician, locksmith, appliance repair specialist and heating contractor. When you really need one is no time to start looking.

43. The store-brand jelly, cereal, paper goods, baking supplies and pharmacy products are good enough.

44. When you mess up, ’fess up. It’s the fastest way, if there is one, to forgiveness.

45. When you’re not the worst-dressed person at a social event, you have nothing to worry about.

46. Be truthful or be quiet. Lies are hard to keep track of.

47. Your education isn’t complete until you’ve learned to take a hint.

48. There’s a good reason to be secretive about your age. People tend to assume things when they know how old you are. “Oh, he’s turning 50,” they might say, for example, “probably full of cranky self-lacerating aphorisms that he thinks qualify as wisdom.” (See "Bored, Tubby, Mild," an animated editorial cartoon along these lines)

49. Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are.

50. Readers love lists. You got to the bottom of this one, didn’t you?

From Eric Zorn's Blog: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/01/50-things-ive-l.html

Try It

"Trust the still, small voice that says, “this might work and I’ll try it.”" - Diane Mariechild

Self-Education

"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn

Blue Screen

I finshed reading "Blue Screen" by Robert B. Parker

ABOUT THE BOOK

Buddy Bollen is a C-list movie mogul who made his fortune producing films of questionable artistic merit. When Buddy hires Sunny Randall to protect his rising star and girlfriend, Erin Flint, Sunny knows from the start that the prickly, spoiled beauty won't make her job easy. And when Erin's sister, Misty, is found dead in the lavish home they share with sugar daddy Bollen, there doesn't seem to be a single lead worth pursuing. But then Sunny meets Jesse Stone, chief of police in Paradise, Massachusetts, under whose jurisdiction the case falls. It immediately becomes clear that Jesse and Sunny have much in common. While searching for the killer, they learn an awful lot about each other-and themselves. Tracking Misty's murderer reveals a host of seedy complications behind Erin's glamorous lifestyle as well as Buddy Bollen's entertainment empire, made up of shady film deals and mobsters out for revenge. But in a world where there's little difference between the good guys and the bad, exposing the killer could prove to be Sunny's undoing.

A Middle Class Kid

He was a middle class kid with good parents, but in the place where they lived, civilization itself was coming apart. In fact, when Succat was a teenager, bandits raided the town and kidnapped him. They took him out of the country and sold him into slavery. Succat found himself watching animals for a local chieftain. He learned his captors’ language as well as their religion, although he held on to his own Christian faith and kept his prayers private. After six years, he escaped and after many adventures found himself back home.The experience of captivity, however, had awakened something deep within Succat. He resolved to devote his life to God. He went to different monasteries to pray and study for some years. A charismatic bishop took Succat under his wing, ordained him a priest and gave him important assignments in teaching people the truth of Christ and his grace. Yet Succat could not forget the people who had held him captive. He felt called to bring the Gospel of Christ to them. After many consultations, he was consecrated as a bishop and sent as a missionary. Returning to the land of his captivity, Succat met fierce opposition and endured many trials, but he held firm and many miracles took place at his hands. He baptized thousands, built churches, and established dioceses throughout the land. Succat, better known by his religious name of Patrick, the great Apostle of Ireland, died in the latter half of the fifth century.

The feast of St. Patrick is celebrated today around the world.

I Arise Today - St. Patrick's Breastplate

Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison,
against burning,
Against drowning,
against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation

(St. Patrick's Breastplate)

from http://penitens.blogspot.com/

Last Tango In Paris

I watched the DVD "Last Tango In Paris"

Synopsis

In Bernardo Bertolucci's art-house classic, Marlon Brando delivers one of his characteristically idiosyncratic performances as Paul, a middle-aged American in "emotional exile" who comes to Paris when his estranged wife commits suicide. Chancing to meet young Frenchwoman Jeanne (Maria Schneider), Paul enters into a sadomasochistic, carnal relationship with her, indirectly attacking the hypocrisy all around him through his raw, outrageous sexual behavior. Paul also hopes to purge himself of his own feelings of guilt, brilliantly and profanely articulated in a largely ad-libbed monologue at his wife's coffin.

Empty Pockets

"Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that." - Norman Vincent Peale

Man Is Richest

"That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest." - Henry David Thoreau

Life Is Really Simple

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius

Other People's Love And Prayer

"Never underestimate the power of other people's love and prayer. When you put someone else at the center of your frame, the entire world changes for you." - Tony Snow

Plum Lovin

I finished reading "Plum Lovin'" by Janet Evanovich

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has been asked to track down armed robber and relationship expert Annie Hart. The mysterious Diesel has offered to help her, but in the meantime, he wants her to fill in and play cupid to some of the relationship expert’s wily clients. A suspenseful, humorous addition to the series, providing a great mix of wild adventure thrown in with the humdrum of daily domestic life.

Determination, Optimism and Patience

"It is important to have determination and optimism and patience. If you lack patience, even when you face some small obstacle, you lose courage. There is a Tibetan saying, "Even if you have failed at something nine times, you have still given it effort nine times." I think that's important. Use your brain to analyze the situation. Do not rush through it, but think. Once you decide what to do about that obstacle, then there's a possibility that you will achieve your goal." - The Dalai Lama

You, Me and Dupree

We watched "You, Me And Dupree" on DVD.

Synopsis

Carl and Molly Peterson (Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson) are just starting their new life together complete with a cute house, boring neighbors, stable jobs and the routines of newlywed existence. There's just one unfortunate hitch in their perfectly constructed new world... And his name's Dupree. Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson), Carl's oldest friend and perpetual bachelor, has found himself with nowhere to go after being fired. Carl yanks his jobless/homeless pal out of the bar he's living in and invites him to temporarily crash on the couch - that's just what friends do.
At first, Carl is quite pleased to have his good buddy as a permanent couch guest, while Molly bears the brunt of Dupree's immature antics. But, as Carl becomes buried in his grown-up job, he finds it harder and harder to juggle Dupree and his responsibilities as a husband. To make matters worse, Dupree uses his ample spare time to become a great companion for Molly. Even her dad (Michael Douglas) and the neighbors are falling for his carefree wisdom and charm frustrating Carl to no end. Soon, everyone but Carl begins to root for Dupree to stick around. But as Dupree starts to become a fixture in the Peterson's home, three becomes not just a crowd but a full-blown, hilarious catastrophe.

Turn Your Wounds Into Wisdom

"Turn your wounds into wisdom. You will be wounded many times in your life. You'll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God's way of saying, "Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction." It's just an experience, just an experience." - Oprah Winfrey

Self-Discipline

"Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don't talk back." -W.K. Hope

Bury Your Troubles

"When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own." -Anonymous

Every Day

"Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending." - Anonymous

I'd Rather Be

"I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate." - George Burns

Luck

"Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent." - Langston Coleman

Three Things

"Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person -
1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose-
1. Hope
2. Faith
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable -
1. Love
2. Family and Friends
3. Charity

Three things in life that are never certain -
1. Dreams
2. Success
3. Tomorrow

Three things that make a person -
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work

Three things that are truly constant -
Father
Son
Holy Spirit"

Basketball Season Is Over

Oue basketball season is over. We played our last game against St. Peter & St. Paul #1 and lost 39 to 22. My youngest son was shutout and didn't score any points. Afterwards the boys went to T.G.I. Fridays for steak dinners.

Late Marriage

I watched the DVD "Late Marriage" another foreign film filmed in Israel.

Synopsis

Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be beautiful and from a good family, preferably rich. Zaza's parents, Yasha and Lily drag Zaza to meet potential brides and their families. Zaza has no choice. He plays along with his family, advocates of the suffocating traditions of their Georgian Jewish heritage. But Zaza always manages to somehow get out of being engaged. What his parents don't know is that Zaza is already in love. Judith is sensuous, strong and intriguing. She's also a divorcée with a 6-year-old daughter. So Zaza has kept Judith a secret from his family. He will have to choose between respect of the strict confines of family and tradition, or the love of his life.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

I finished reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon. My boys both read it last summer and I just finished reading his book "A Spot Of Bother."

ABOUT THE BOOK

Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions, and cannot stand to be touched. Gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. "I do not always do what I'm told," he admits. "And this is because when people tell you what to do it is usually confusing and does not make sense. For example, people often say 'Be quiet' but they don't tell you how long to be quiet for..."
At fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork and is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with this crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the mysterious workings of Christopher's mind.

Creativity

"Creativity is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God." - Bob Moawad

Acres Of Diamonds

At the heart of his lecture was a parable Conwell heard while traveling through present-day Iraq in 1870:

There was once a wealthy man named Ali Hafed who lived not far from the River Indus. “He was contented because he was wealthy, and wealthy because he was contented.” One day a priest visited Ali Hafed and told him about diamonds.

Ali Hafed heard all about diamonds, how much they were worth, and went to his bed that night a poor man. He had not lost anything, but he was poor because he was discontented, and discontented because he feared he was poor.

Ali Hafed sold his farm, left his family, and traveled to Palestine and then to Europe searching for diamonds. He did not find them. His health and his wealth failed him. Dejected, he cast himself into the sea.

One day, the man who had purchased Ali Hafed’s farm found a curious sparkling stone in a stream that cut through his land. It was a diamond. Digging produced more diamonds — acres of diamonds, in fact. This, according to the parable, was the discovery of the famed diamonds of Golconda.

The point, Conwell says, is that we often dream of fortunes to be made in faraway places. We ought instead to be open to the opportunities that are around us. He illustrates this concept with several other stories, including that of the discovery of gold in California.

Principles of Success

How can we learn to discover these acres of diamonds in our own backyards?

Maintain a ready mind. Be open to the possibilities around you. Don’t let preconceived notions cloud your judgment. We often overlook the value of something because we believe we already know it.

Look at the familiar in new ways. Conwell lists some important inventions — the snap-button, the cotton gin, the mowing machine — and notes that these were created by everyday people who found new approaches and new uses for commonplace objects.

Learn what people want, then give it to them. Discover a market, and the provide a good or a service. Too many people do this the other way around. They develop a good or a service and then try to market it, try to manufacture desire. You’ll have more success if you see a desire and then try to meet it.

Knowledge is more important than capital. Lack of capital is a common excuse for not starting a business venture. How often have you heard, “You need money to make money.” Nonsense, says Conwell. He gives anecdotes of wealthy people who started with nothing but an idea.

Don’t put yourself down, and don’t belittle your environment. Don’t compare yourself with others. “Believe in the great opportunities that are right here not over in New York or Boston, but here — for business, for everything that is worth living for on earth. There was never an opportunity greater.”

Find the best in what’s around you. Conwell says that inside each of us are the seeds of greatness. “Greatness … really consists in doing great deeds with little means and the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life.”

Conclusion: Have you taken stock of your life lately? Perhaps there are diamonds sitting just outside your back door.

“Acres of Diamonds” is the public domain. You could probably read the entire thing in less than an hour while sitting at your desk. There are two versions freely available online.
The first, at Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page, is the traditional version, the one published in 1915.

I have an old copy of this book in my library