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| Teach a man to fish... |
You may wonder why I find this story so fascinating, and once you read it you may understand.
Why do we work? Do we work to feed ourselves, pay bills, climb the social status ladder? Do we work to get more stuff? Is it about ego? Status? More stuff? Do we really, I mean REALLY need it? Do we enjoy it or are we subconsciously worrying about how to pay for it? After all the one who dies with the most toys wins... but is still dead.
or as I have come to realize lately, have we been working to stop working, and start enjoying life...
Story of the Mexican Fisherman
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.
An American tourist complimented
the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch.
“How long did it take you to
get those?” he asked.
“Not so long,” said the Mexican.
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his
needs and feed his family.
“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with
my wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks,
play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”
The American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish
you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”
“And after that?” asked the Mexican.
“With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat
and then a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate
directly with the processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant.
You could leave this little village and move to Mexico
City, Los Angeles,
or even New York! From there you
could direct your whole enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty — perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets
really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling
stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with
your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
***
The moral of the story… Know where you’re going in life — you may already be
there.
**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **
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