The Fisherman and the Businessman

An American businessman arrived in a small coastal Mexican village and happened to be standing at a small pier when a small boat with a lone fisherman docked.

Inside the boat were several large, yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the quality of the fish and asked the fisherman, “How long did it take you to catch them?”
The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

“Then why,” the American asked, “didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”
The fisherman replied, “I have enough for my family’s needs.”
Then the American said, “Well, what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman said, “Sometimes I take a day off and I sleep in and play with my children. I like to take a siesta with my wife. Each evening I stroll into the village where we have dinner and I play guitar with my friends.”

The American scoffed. He said, “I have an MBA in business and I could help you!”
The fisherman said, “You can help me?”
“Yes, I can really help you!”
“What do you mean?”
The businessman replied, “You should spend more time fishing, catch more fish and then buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger fishing vessel you can buy several boats and hire extra staff to fish for you. Eventually, you will have a fishing fleet and a huge staff. At that point, instead of selling to the middleman, you’ll be able to sell directly to the processor. That will mean more money and more capital.

“Then guess what?” the business man continued excitedly, “Eventually you can open your own cannery and soon you’ll be able to control the market. You’ll be a millionaire!”

“A millionaire?” the humble fisherman asked, more shocked than convinced.
“How long will this take?”
“About 15 to 20 years.”
“Then what?” the fisherman asked.
“Then you could retire!” the American said, adding "You would have the time and resources to do whatever you wanted then."

"True." said the fisherman, "Maybe then moving to a village where I can work just a little bit, sleep in, and play with my kids. Perhaps take a siesta with my wife in the afternoon and stroll into the village in the evening … have dinner and play guitar ?"

The businessman started to smile and nod eagerly at first, and then realized what the fisherman was saying. His smile turned into a frown of confusion as the fisherman laughed and kept unloading his boat.

Moral of the Story: In our haste to get more and more, we can easily forget that we already have more than we need.