A
boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the
Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him
to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and
catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs
and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with
the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my
children, and take a coffee with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the
village to see my friends, 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 larger boat will
bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on 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 and maybe even open
your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico
City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your
huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,"
replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it
gets really interesting,"
answered the American, laughing.
"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
tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a
few fish, take a coffee with your wife and spend your evenings enjoying your friends."
And the moral is: Know where you're going in
life... you may already be there.