The Idle Fisherman – A Pleasant Life
A corporate
executive, on holiday in a small, Greek sea-coast village, was strolling by the
docks and taking in the local colour. He complimented one fisherman on the
quality of his catch.
“How long did
it take you to get all those fish?” he asked.
“Not very
long,” answered the Greek. “An hour or two.”
“Then why
didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”
Shrugging, the
Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs, and those of
his family.
The executive
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
nap with my wife. In the evening, I go to the village to see my friends, dance
a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life.”
The executive
said, “Well I have an MBA from Harvard and I’m sure I can help you. You should
start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch extra fish that you can sell.
With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger
boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on,
until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a
middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe
even open your own plant. You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In
time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long
would that take?” asked the Greek.
“Twenty,
perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the executive.
“And after
that?”
“When your
business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the
executive with zeal.
“Millions?
Really? And after that?”
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village
near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish,
take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, and
playing the bouzouki with your friends.”
A good
life-balance means taking the time to appreciate what we’re doing now. Try
thinking again about what you’re doing and what you hope to achieve. Being
satisfied with what you’ve got can be a liberating experience. Knowing when
enough is enough could transform your perception of success. Keep your guard
against narrow definitions of success. Try to stop and smell the flowers!
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