This time I wanted to share with you a story that I personally find very inspiring. I know that many of you will ask me afterwards, “Isn’t it sending a totally opposite message of what you have been telling us all the time?” It is not, and it is very important for you to understand that.
You will always hear me saying that we should step out from our comfort zone, and use smartly each second of our lives, that we should be committed to our goals and follow our dreams in spite of everything.
However, it is essential for all of us to stay happy on that path of growth and live with joy every second of our new journey. It is extremely important to have our goals very clear in our heads, made of, fewer material things and more of emotions that we want to face and feel, and to free ourselves from the burden of fear called “What if it goes wrong”, being positively orientated and thus attracting only positive things, which I explained in my previous posts…
The Story of Mexican Fisherman
by Timothy Forriss
An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American asked.
“Only a little while,” the Mexican replied in surprisingly good English.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American then asked.
“I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends,” the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.
“But… What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican looked up and smiled. “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor.”
The American laughed and stood tall. “Sir, I’m a Harvard MBA and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”
He continued, “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you could run your expanded enterprise with proper management.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, señor, how long will all this take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years, 25 tops.”
“But what then, senor?”
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public, and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions senor? Then what?”
“Then you would 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, and stroll in to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
Nice story, isn’t it? However, I wanted to show it to you from another angle.
I was that “fisherman” for so long. I had chosen wisely that kind of life that needed zero effort to give me the maximum pleasure. So what went wrong?
It was not MY dream. I am NOT a fisherman. If you have wings, you should use them to fly, not to hang them on the wall.
If you have talents, they are not there for some strange reason. You have to find that reason and follow your star. Otherwise, you will live somebody else’s dream, not yours. It is absolutely fine, if your dream is to spend time with your friends and family drinking and dancing in a small village hidden from the world. However, if deep inside, you know that you are meant to be somewhere else, go for it. Follow your own dreams, and dream as big as you can.
I got to the point where, continuing living the idealistic life of mine meant starting dying slowly. I had neglected all my talents for so long, but they finally imposed, and stood for their rights.
Be happy and grateful for everything you already have, but at the same time find the courage to choose the unknown and steep path called progress, and to take the responsibility for your own lives.
What do you have to say? Leave me your comments below!
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