(Photo by Neloqua)
I stumbled across this story while I was cleaning up the hurricane aftermath that is my jumbled writings and saved archives
After I reread it, I knew that I had to post it up
This is the story of an American business man and a Mexican fisherman that happen to cross paths. While the story has no official author or even verification for if it even took place at all, ultimately that’s meaningless
The story has an amazing message that it gets across very effectively, and will really resonate with you if you ever found yourself reconsidering the line of work you’re in, what your goals are, and what happiness really means to you
I highly recommend putting down the TV remote, stop stalking people on Facebook, or rereading the same office memo for the 8th time and spend a minute giving this story your full attention
Be sure to let me know what this story means to you in the comments or an email
The Mexican Fisherman
The American investment banker was at the pier of a
small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with
just one fisherman docked.
Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.
The American complimented the Mexican on the quality
of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.”
The American then asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer
and catch more fish?”
The Mexican said, “With this I have more than enough to support my family’s needs.”
The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the
processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15 to 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 would make millions.”
“Millions?…Then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. 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.”
Gabriel
I have heard this story before. Thanks for posting it, it has such a simple message. BE where you are right now.
ya sounds about right.
Very cool story
i remember that from jimmy johns drunk food. Great story
Thanks for the positive feedback guys 🙂
If only it was that simple in america…….Very interesting story though
I enjoyed the Mexican fisherman story very much
There is another story about a Mexican village that is transformed by Gringos into an American suburb. I no longer have a copy but it goes something like
You used to love this place, but you say it has lost its charm.
You complained about the noisy music in the streets at night so we stopped playing it.
You complained about the roosters in the night so we got rid of them.
You loved the children here but you drove up the cost of houses so no one with children can afford to live here.
You complained about the dogs in the streets so we got rid of them.
Now you ask if I know of another charming village you can move to.
@Dennis
Awesome contribution, thanks for sharing Dennis
Loved this story too, I also wrote a blog post about it: http://elizabethyork.com/the-american-businessman-and-the-mexican-fisherman
@Elizabeth
Thanks