I came across a thought-provoking fish story on the internet today …
A boat docked in a tiny Greek village. An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
“Not very long,” answered the Greek.
“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the
American.
The Greek 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 siesta with
my wife. In the evenings, 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 Greek.
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 Athens, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.
“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 Greek.
“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 siesta
with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
And the moral is:
Know where you’re going in life….you may already be there.