I ran across this little story and thought you’d enjoy it. Too many of us have confused the means and the ends in our lives. We need to consider: what are we working so hard for?
The American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal
Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the
small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the
Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied only a little while.
The American then asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”
The Mexican said, “I’ve got enough to support my family’s
immediate needs.”
The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest
of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my
children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening
where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life,
senor.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should
spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you
could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman
you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery.
You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to
leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where
you would run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all
take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”
”But what then, senor?”
The American laughed, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce
an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you
would make millions.”
”Millions, senor? Then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing
village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take
siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could
sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
that’s good stuff.