Comstock Gold
Recently, I was reading a historic novel about the Gold Rush in California and Nevada in the mid-1800s. It was fascinating to learn how people lived during that time and in that place. There are a multitude of lessons to be learned in observing any situation.
The early miners struck some promising looking veins of gold, and the Gold Rush was on. People came from around the world with nothing more than their hopes and dreams of gold. As the various mines developed, it became much more expensive and labor intensive to get the ore out of the ground. Many people who came halfway around the world expecting to get rich, only got a job working in someone else's mine. These West Coast mines were unique in that there was a blue clay that continued to seep into each of the tunnels and mine shafts.
They had to assign many workers to do nothing more than scoop up this clay and haul it out of the mine, creating large mountains of this waste blue clay material. This clay removal made the mining process more dangerous and more expensive. They called in mining experts from around the world to determine how to stop this blue clay from creeping into the mine works. One deep mine expert arrived from Ireland and, as he was walking up the hill to the mine shaft, he noticed the enormous pile of blue clay. He casually commented, "That is the largest pile of silver ore I've ever seen." As the gold played out, the Comstock Lode became one of the richest deposits of silver the world has ever known. Many fortunes were built in just a few short years -- not because of gold, but because of a waste byproduct they had overlooked.
Unless you and I are interested in silver mines, this may not have any direct application to our lives; however, it may be worth more than the silver or the gold if we will come to understand the significance. We must ask ourselves the golden question: What opportunities are we overlooking simply because we think we should be working in another direction? Success generally lies in recognizing and exploiting value before anyone else does.
You may already have the key to everything you want in your hands. Step back and look at it from a different perspective. Don't only think about what you see, but think about what other people might see. Oftentimes, wisdom and genius come from simply observing your current situation from another angle. As you go through your day today, look past the gold and even the silver. You may already possess more than you think.
Today's the day!
__________
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by e-mail at [email protected]
Recently, I was reading a historic novel about the Gold Rush in California and Nevada in the mid-1800s. It was fascinating to learn how people lived during that time and in that place. There are a multitude of lessons to be learned in observing any situation.
The early miners struck some promising looking veins of gold, and the Gold Rush was on. People came from around the world with nothing more than their hopes and dreams of gold. As the various mines developed, it became much more expensive and labor intensive to get the ore out of the ground. Many people who came halfway around the world expecting to get rich, only got a job working in someone else's mine. These West Coast mines were unique in that there was a blue clay that continued to seep into each of the tunnels and mine shafts.
They had to assign many workers to do nothing more than scoop up this clay and haul it out of the mine, creating large mountains of this waste blue clay material. This clay removal made the mining process more dangerous and more expensive. They called in mining experts from around the world to determine how to stop this blue clay from creeping into the mine works. One deep mine expert arrived from Ireland and, as he was walking up the hill to the mine shaft, he noticed the enormous pile of blue clay. He casually commented, "That is the largest pile of silver ore I've ever seen." As the gold played out, the Comstock Lode became one of the richest deposits of silver the world has ever known. Many fortunes were built in just a few short years -- not because of gold, but because of a waste byproduct they had overlooked.
Unless you and I are interested in silver mines, this may not have any direct application to our lives; however, it may be worth more than the silver or the gold if we will come to understand the significance. We must ask ourselves the golden question: What opportunities are we overlooking simply because we think we should be working in another direction? Success generally lies in recognizing and exploiting value before anyone else does.
You may already have the key to everything you want in your hands. Step back and look at it from a different perspective. Don't only think about what you see, but think about what other people might see. Oftentimes, wisdom and genius come from simply observing your current situation from another angle. As you go through your day today, look past the gold and even the silver. You may already possess more than you think.
Today's the day!
__________
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by e-mail at [email protected]