RR,
Makes me wonder why I work so much!
Hank
The irony of the rat race explained....
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist
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
American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his
needs and those of his
family.
The American 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
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 have a full life."
The American 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.
"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 Mexico City,
Los Angeles, or even
New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the
American, laughing.
"When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and
make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?"
"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!" |
