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Do you know what happiness means for you?
This little story is what they call an “oldie but a goodie”. Read it, enjoy and then feel free to post your thoughts.
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked 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 and the Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American then 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?” asked the Mexican.
“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…you may already be there. Enjoy Life Now - Be Happy.
This entry was posted
on Monday, May 8th, 2006 at 5:36 pm and is filed under Happy Tips.
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May 8th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
Sorry to rain on your parade doc happy - while this example sounds good, if you look a bit closer it totally goes against what professionals say is one of 2 fundamental needs of happiness - financial security. I’m just quoting what the Wellbeing Institute said during the Happiness discussion on SBS recently ……. financial security and friendship/family/etc being the 2 essentials for happiness. Not richness, just security.
May 8th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Hey there,
Firstly, it’s just a metaphor!
Secondly, I don’t think anything in this little story “goes against” any of the fundamental needs of happiness including financial security. Without the American and his advice the fisherman is quite secure - he knows there’ll be fish tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. So why catch more than he needs right now?
But again, I think the main point is within the metaphor - sometimes we chase so much more when what will really make us happy sometimes is so much less.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
It’s interesting how others see us and want to change us. It’s also interesting how we may wish to change others to suit how we think they should be. So another moral may be…. why should we change when others want us to, but why should others change because we want them to? Acceptance is a great way to happiness as always wanting more sure sets up tensions and pressure. Enjoy what we have in this moment is good advice. Thanks.
Noel
Noel Kingsley
May 16th, 2006 at 3:34 am
The story answers the question right. And it was made considering SIMPLICITY in conveying the main idea of determining your own definition of success or happiness at the very beginning. “Begin with the end in mind”
And it would be great if the fisherman developed the habit of saving (a very important law in achieving success). If he will get sick, grow old or any circumstances that will prevent him from fishing, enough savings will give him enough time/opportunity to rethink of other means to earn a living. When you reached the golden years you should have already Made Your Money Work for You!