The Village Fisherman Story

A boat from the United States docked in a tiny village near the coast.

A tourist from the boat saw a fisherman in the tiny harbor and complimented the  fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the fisherman.

 “But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the tourist.

The fisherman explained, “My small catch is sufficient to meet my needs and those of my family.”

The tourist asked, confused, “But what do you do with all of your extra 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 live a full life,” answered the fisherman.

The tourist interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!”

The tourist continued, excited, “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. 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 negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.”

“You can then leave this little village and move to Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise,” continued the tourist.

“How long would all of that take?” asked the fisherman.

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

“And after that?” asked the fisherman.

“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the tourist laughing, “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stock and make millions!”

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

“After that — and this is the best part — you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings playing the guitar, having a few drinks, and enjoying your friends!”

“But, I already have all of that,” replied the fisherman.

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Take some time to stop and look around at your life this weekend and appreciate what you have around you. What is important to you? Do your goals include these things? What do you already have that you are taking for granted?

Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to achieve more and more and more, that we forget what we have.

This weekend, try to focus on only the things you love about your life.

– Zach