A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. 

A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took them to catch them.

“Not very long,” they answered in unison.

“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?”

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

“But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life.”

The tourist 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?”

“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 an intermediary, 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?”

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years.” replied the tourist.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well, my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the tourist, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the fishermen.

“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.”

“With all due respect sir, but that’s exactly what we are doing now. So, what’s the point wasting twenty-five years?” asked the Mexicans.

Lesson:

Know where you’re going in life…

You may already be there!!

An affluent man once told a spiritual Master that try as he might, he simply couldn’t stop the compulsion to make money.

“Even at the cost of enjoying life, alas,” said the Master.

“I shall leave the enjoyment of life for my old age.”

“If you ever live to have one,” said the Master as he recounted the story of the highway robber who said, “Your money or your life!” The victim said, “Take my life. I am saving my money for my old age!”

For another wealthy man who endangered his health in his zeal for making money the Master told the story of the miser who was being taken to his grave.

Suddenly he came to consciousness, sized up the situation and made a quick decision: “I’d better stay put — or else I’ll have to pay the funeral bill!”

Most people would rather save their money than their lives or strain themselves making money at the cost of their health.

Remember:

The money we earn doesn’t belong to us. The money we actually spend from what we have earned belongs to us. The rest, if we have not allotted it for charity, social causes or some good purposes, we leave it for our relatives to fight over.

For any businessperson, what matters at the end of the day is “have I made profit or not”.

Similarly, in the business of living, what should matter at the end of the day is “am I happy or not”.