Near a boat docked in a tiny Mexican village, an American tourist compliments the Mexican fisherman on
the quality of his fish, and asks 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."
"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 Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, 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?" said the Mexican.
"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 with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is:
Know where you're going in life........... because you may already be there!
A little drop of "Ol' Man River" with us always