The Businessman & The Fisherman

As he sat, taking a brief break from the stress of his daily schedule, a businessman saw a fisherman rowing a small boat back into the harbour. 

Impressed by the quality of the fish, the businessman asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” To which the fisherman replied, “Oh, not so long.”

The businessman was confused, “Why don’t you fish for a longer and catch even more?”

“More? This is enough to feed my entire family and even offer some to my neighbours,” the fisherman replied.

“So what do you do for the rest of your day?” asked the businessman.

The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually have caught my fish by late morning, at which point I go home, kiss my wife, and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap and read. In the evening, we catch up with friends, play guitar, and sing a few songs.”

Putting his entrepreneurial hat on, the businessman offered a suggestion.

“I have a PhD in business. I can help you become much more successful. From now on, you should spend longer at sea and catch as many fish as possible. When you’ve saved enough money, buy a bigger boat to catch even more fish. From there, you’ll soon be able to buy more boats, set up your own company, build a production plant to can the fish and control distribution, and move to the city to control your other branches.”

To this, the fisherman asks, “And after that?”

The businessman laughs, “After that, you’ll be able to live like a king, take your company public, float your shares and be rich!”

“And after that?” asks the fisherman once more.

“After that, you can retire, move to a house by the sea, wake up and go fishing in the morning, then return home kiss your wife, and cath up with your kids. In the afternoon, take a nap and read. In the evening, catch up with friends, play guitar and sing a few songs.”

Puzzled, the fisherman replies, “But isn’t that what I’m doing already?”

Something to think about...

"What are you actually striving for?"