What's It All About Anyway?

It's been waaaaay to long since I last posted. Between a ridiculous amount of travelling for work and a ridiculous amount of hours spent caring for the new puppy, I've really let my blogging slip. That being said, I came across a great story that really puts our fast-paced, driven society in perspective. I'm not sure where this story originated, but I came across it in a new book from Relevant called 'Perspectives' by Colin Creel:

The American investment banker 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-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long in took to catch them. The Mexican replied, only a little while. The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. So the American 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, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, but 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 village and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles and eventually to New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will all of this take?" To which the American replied, "Fifteen to twenty years."

"But what then?" the fisherman asked.

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce and IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!"

"Millions...then what?" was the reply.

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 guitar with your amigos."

Hmmm...seems to me the fisherman in this story is the one with the right priorities. Maybe I need to take up fishing...