Best things in life can be at your own backyard
I have friends telling me that Australia is a good place to stay….some Singapore…some US…some London (ok, London IS NOT a good place to stay due to its gloominess). This kind of “grass is always greener on the other side” is no longer new to most of us. But I can tell you that, most people (not all) who think that grass is always greener on the other side, will most often end up disappointed. 
Just few days ago, as I was reading John Bogle’s Enough, I came across this simple story which sounds a bit like this:
Long time ago, there was this rich farmer who wanted to be richer. He has heard stories about diamond mines in a land far far away and due to his greed for more money, he went on a journey searching for these diamonds. He tried and tried…and tried… but after years of searching, he could not find a single diamond. He was getting very old and very tired. And he decided to end it once and for all – he jumped into the deep ocean and committed suicide.
Not long after that, another person took over his house and farm. One day, as this new owner was walking along the river behind his house, he saw this shiny object in the river – this shiny object was a huge diamond. And that area then became a very famous mine for diamonds.
After reading this short story, I feel it further strengthens 2 of my beliefs – opportunities are abundant irregardless of where you are and best things in life could be something you have been experiencing all this while.
All you need to do is to pay more attention to your surroundings, to your life, to your job, to the people around you. What most people don’t do is that they focus more on something they don’t have….other countries, other jobs, what other people have, etc. That is why to them, grass is always greener on the other side.
So for a change, try focus more on your own life, yourselves, your family, and what is available to you now – and then try to make the best out of them.
Hope it helps.
nice post bro
i was talking to a friend the other day , he told me a formula that is very interesting ..
You -> happiness -> wealth
If
You-> wealth-> try to find happiness , the happiness will not come
gapnaps last blog post..What’s new at Music Master ?
Thats a nice story…i liked it very much…its true n very inspiring…we should really think positively and there are always opportunities surrounding us…only we have to put some effort to find them right?
@ gapnap
Thanks bro
You –> wealth –> happiness is hard to come because the middle one can be very subjective due to another element –> greed.
@ Hafiz
Opportunities will always be there for those who make an effort to look for them. If you don’t make any effort, even if you travel to Mars, you won’t find any.
I recommend that 80:20 rule of life.
LC Tehs last blog post..Prowling Around 2
@ LC Teh
Read your article there. Couldn’t hv agreed more
Thanks for sharing.
Hey, I like London! Its like a great big Hogwarts.
I understand the gist of Bogle’s story. I had the same thoughts when I was messing around with problem of succession planning – the fact that many kids don’t actually want to take over the reins of the family business because they think it sucks and there are better things to do out there. And then they start to regret it when they get older.
However, I think there are situations where its better to let something go, for instance a business whose assets are drowned by it liabilities and no chance of survival. It requires facts, patience and a lot of thought. The thing is, most ordinary Joes don’t have the patience for this (which was why many of our ancestors migrated from rural areas to urban centers instead of turning their land into agricultural gold mines).
@ Damien
I believe that most successful entrepreneurs hv few things in common and one of them is having a good patience (or maybe perseverance is a better word?). If you don’t have that, you will end up jumping from one opportunity to the other and never get anything done.
It’s very important to know when to call it quit, and when to push through.
Opportunities can be anywhere and most good ones could be around you and are more suitable for you. After all, you’ve been spending your time around this area for so long, you ought to know this place better than another place across the globe.