The Future of the Internet: Acres of Diamonds

I recently reread a fascinating little book, which I had originally read 15 years ago, called Acres of Diamonds. It is a written copy of a speech given by Dr. Russell H. Conwell in approximately 1910. Reading this insightful book really helped me recently.

Dr. Conwell works diligently throughout his speech to explain that there are an unlimited number of opportunities sitting right in front of each of us, just waiting to be noticed and implemented. All one needs to do is look at what is needed and do something about filling the need.

He talks about MANY people who started simply filling a simple need, such as the poor man out of work in Hingham, MA who whittled children's toys out of his firewood and eventually is rumored to have become the richest man in Massachusetts selling his amazing toys. Or a woman in New Britain, CT who invented the snapping button because her regular button had gotten stuck in the hole one time.

He tells a funny story about a man from PA who wanted so badly to work for his cousin in the oil business (and get rich) that he studied hard, sold his farm for $833.00, and moved to Canada to work in the oil business. Amazingly, the man who bought his farm found that the previous owner had put a plank across a brook of scum to cross. It turns out that the scum was actually oil and the farm produced over $1 billion over its lifetime!!

He also does a great job of explaining how making money is a good thing and is in no way something to be ashamed of or bashful about.

What's this go to do with the Internet?!? Well, just before I read this book, I had been thinking recently that it seems the Internet opportunity of the past had dried up. It felt to me that every great idea had already been taken and fully exploited, and that any worthwhile venture would take an enormous amount of money to accomplish because the Internet standards and expectations had been raised so high.

However, after reading this little book, it became clear to me that at ANY TIME IN LIFE, especially RIGHT NOW, there are opportunities sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF US just waiting for us to pick them up and take advantage of them. Often these opportunities are hidden because they're SO close that we don't even see them.

So, this book really changed my outlook and shifted my paradigm such that I'm starting to see new and interesting things already right in front of me. Like most successes, these things I'm seeing are not at first earth-shattering or monumental, but little things I can do (and am doing) to fill a need or make something better in what I already do.

Amazingly, in the past 2 weeks, I'm already noticing improved results beginning to appear in an exponential way - small at first, but almost growing as if they have a life of their own.

I'm really interested in your ideas regarding the INTERNET Acres of Diamonds sitting right in front of us. Please read this little story and let me know if it changes your insight, as it did mine. I'd enjoy reading your comments.

Comments
Phillip Senn's Gravatar I'll read it again. I haven't read it since my days in Amway, but I do remember how it ended: "Officers to the rear!"
I can see a mental picture of the Officer in charge riding horseback down the line as he shouts "Officers to the rear!" as the battle begins.
Wouldn't want his Officers getting shot at, you know.

The other thing I remembered was that most of his anecdotes revolved around real-estate. But you came away with a different impression.

Yes, the Internet is definately a gold mine for we developers. Just look at Time magazine's "Man of the year" (no kidding).

Think about it: You can write a program, press Control-S and anyone anywhere in the world can access it immediately. When in human history has that been made available to the average man?
# Posted By Phillip Senn | 1/15/07 9:17 AM
Greg Balanko-Dickson's Gravatar That is the great lesson in life, to work where we are planted, to start where we are. We simply need to look around, open our eyes, see a need and fill it.
# Posted By Greg Balanko-Dickson | 1/18/07 10:10 PM
Pete B's Gravatar Ken, really interesting site. Nice one. I'm actually resposnding to an article that you provided a link to in Ode magazine by Tijn Touber re near death experiences. Really good article about conciousness etc. thanks for that. It's very germain to what I'm studying at the moment.

WIll look at Acrs of Diamonds too now.

Regards

Peter
# Posted By Pete B | 5/18/07 8:38 AM