A very successful businessman 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 yellow fin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied with a wide grin across his face and explains that he only fishes for about three hours every day.
Dumb founded, the businessman asked the fisherman why he didn’t stay out longer and continue catching more fish. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman, “you should be working harder and catch more fish!”
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The businessman then 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 a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; after that I’ll relax on the beach sir.”
Now the rich businessman figures he needs to teach this fisherman a thing or two. He scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”
“But what then, sir?” asked the fisherman.
A little irritated with the fisherman’s question, the businessman replied, “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But sir, how long will this all take?” To which the businessman replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then, sir?”
Getting angrier, the businessman raised his voice, “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”
“Millions, sir? Then what?”
Now the businessman was red with rage and yelled, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You would then retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos. You won’t have a care in the world!”
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up, nodded and said, “And what do you think I am doing now?”
The fisherman then looked at the blue sea, with his pole in the water, without a care in the world.