Loving What You Have
No matter what stage of life you are in, unless you are destitute, you are likely surrounded by love and abundance, yet you may not realize it. I’m at a stage of life where most of the time dedicated to my Sprints is maintaining what I already have, beginning with my health, my relationships, my career and then my possessions. All of these things take a considerable amount of time and energy to maintain, and the return on that investment is huge. I spend more time in gratitude in my life now then ever before, yet looking back I can see that even in the lowest times, there was much to be grateful for.
Wayne Dyer used to talk about striving, but never arriving. Paraphrasing one of his talks, he said “I’ll be happy once I get the perfect job. I’ll be happy when I find a partner. I’ll be happy when I get married. I’ll be happy when I have kids.” And finally, “I’ll be happy when I get a divorce.” This always got a laugh, and I suspect you’re laughing too at the truth of it. If everything is in the future, then what is there now?
That’s why I want to share the Parable of the Mexican Fisherman. You may have seen this before, and if so, it’s worth reading again. In gratitude for you…
Kevin
The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman
An American investment banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.
The investment banker was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Mexican how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.”
The banker then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican fisherman replied he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then asked “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, 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 investment banker scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA, and I could help you. You could spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats until eventually you would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”
Then he added, “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City where you would run your growing enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then?” asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You could make millions.”
“Millions, señor? Then what?”
To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”