I ‘ve spoken several times on this blog about The 4 Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferris (Amazon links: UK, US). A book which I didn’t expect to enjoy nearly as much as I did. There was one particular passage that really struck home with me towards the end of the book that I’ve been wanting to share with you, so today, I’ll do just that.
The Fisherman & The Businessman
An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American asked.
“Only a little while,” the Mexican replied in surprisingly good English.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American then asked.
“I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends,” the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.
“But… What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican looked up and smiled. “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.”
The American laughed and stood tall. “Sir, I’m a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”
He continued, “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you could run your expanded enterprise with proper management.
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, senor, how long will all this take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years, 25 tops.”
“But what then, senor?”
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 would make millions.”
“Millions senor? Then what?”
“Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll in to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
My old boss told me this a few years ago and I found it to be possibly the most enlightened thing that anyone has ever said to me.
So it’s either he a) already did that or b) he’s living the life without all the b.s.
I’m going to go ahead and say that it’s “b” :)
Wow, a great excerpt – I’ve heard of that book before but never got round to getting it – I’ll have to check it out.
On a related note you might want to look up ‘How to be Idle’ and ‘How to be Free’ by Tom Hodgkinson – similar in terms of trying to show you how to reduce the unimportant in your life.
Alright fair enough. I guess it would make more sense that way.
LOL, great story.
4-hour work week is now bumped up on my To-Read list.
Great excerpt, John! I’m about half way through TFWW now… still… I really should finish it but I just don’t seem to have time ;) lol
That’s spot on! Wonder if there are any fish left in the Avon…?
Booooom! that hit a cord with me my friend! Iv never been too bothered with self help books and the like but if this book contains nuggets of enlightenment like this then I think it will be worth reading.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention! :)
Haha, great story. Love it. Money doesn’t make you happy.
I finally got round to reading T4HWW – smashed though it in about a week, which is unusual for me. Very inspiring, and full of great quotes – all I need now is the new BrainQuicken!
I remember reading that a couple of years ago when the book first came out. It was a story that really stuck in my mind, and made me think about putting the brakes on a little.
Love it, do you mind if I re-post on my blog and link back?
Sure no problem! :)
I totally agree with you all and this book is now on top of my “books to buy and read next” list… :)
Thanks for sharing,
Lars.
Ah, why can’t I just be like the fisherman?