Wisdom of The Masses

We're at The BizRadio MoneyFair all day today. As you can well imagine, things are a little hectic, and it's a little like trying to do brain surgery inside a furniture warehouse.

So, in lieu of a regular posting today, please allow me to share with you a fairly thought-provoking story I received this week in my in-box:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. A tourist standing on the pier complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish, and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the tourist. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The tourist asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta. 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 have a full life," replied the fisherman.

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?" asked the Mexican.

"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 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?" asked the fisherman.
"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!" The tourist was becoming very animated, gesturing wildly, and pacing along the pier.

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican fisherman.

"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 and. . . spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

The “poor” fisherman just smiled and walked away. The moral of this story is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there!!