A high-powered business consultant travels to a small town in Mexico for vacation. He’s a Harvard graduate and very good at his job.
One morning, he’s out walking. He finds himself at the local dock. He notices a fisherman stepping off his boat. The fisherman picks up a large tuna fish, wraps it up, and starts heading back toward the village.
The consultant greets the fisherman and asks, “How do you spend your days here?”
The fisherman answers, “Each morning, I take out my boat. I catch one large tuna fish. I go to the village to sell the fish. This pays enough to give my family and me what we need. I head home and have breakfast with my wife. In the afternoon, we take a siesta. When the kids get home from school, I go outside and play with them before dinner. After family dinner, I go to the local Catina where I play guitar, drink beer, and have a good time with my friends!”
The consultant says, “I think I can help you. I’m a very successful business consultant from Harvard. You should stay out on the lake longer so you can catch more fish. Then after a while, you can buy a bigger boat.”
The fisherman is intrigued. He asks, “Wow, that sounds good! Then what happens?”
The consultant replies, “Well, then you can employ all of your friends, stay out even longer, and catch even more fish to sell.”
The fisherman is getting really excited now, “Ok! And then what?”
The consultant answers, “Then you can buy a whole fleet of ships. You’d be able to fish all day, seven days a week. Eventually, you cut out the middleman and start your own cannery! You could set up headquarters in Mexico City or even somewhere in the United States.”
The fisherman asks, “And then what?!”
The consultant says, “At that point, you’d have a huge company. You’d have hundreds or even thousands of employees! My team and I could help you with an IPO. You’ll make millions!”
The fisherman asks, “Millions!? How many millions?”
The consultant answers, “I mean, at least $25 million. Maybe 50!”
The fisherman can’t believe it,“$50 million!?! Wow! What happens after that?”
The consultant replies, “That is the best part. Then you can retire. You can move back to your village. You can fish every morning, have breakfast with your wife, and take a siesta in the afternoon. In the evening, you can play guitar, drink beer, and enjoy time with your friends!”
Sometimes the life you have is exactly the life you want. Even when others are telling you to want something different.
I’ve heard it said many times,
If you don’t plan your life, someone else will plan it for you.
I think that’s true. Society is built to tell you to want something different than what you have. That’s not to say you need a plan for every detail of your life. It’s more about having intention and purpose as the foundation of your decisions.
You could change that saying to go something like,
If you lack a purpose in your life, someone will find a purpose for you.
The painfully ironic path of life goes something like this;
You exchange your time for money. This goes on for a while. Then, at some point, you’ll happily exchange your money for time. Usually, you’re the most eager to give up your money for time when you have the least amount of time left. That’s the painful part. One of the grand challenges of life is figuring out the balance between the two.
It’s ok to strive for a bigger business, a nicer house, or an increase in income. But it’s important to understand the true cost of those things.
Above all, make sure you have an answer to why. And don’t let someone else answer that for you.
Here’s to making money matter!
Note: Credit to Mitch Anthony for the story
Nice article. Each of us needs to understand our own "why" and then strive to live that. Then when the "harvard grad" comes, we will understand our purpose and what is bringing us true joy.
I really like your monthly articles. I agree with the story and your thoughts about planning, time, and the the associated costs. Thanks Matt.