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 it.
"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 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 a
middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and may
be 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, and 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 Mexicans.
