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What if all our effort is focused on the wrong thing? We spend every day of our lives trying to get ahead. Our focus is so strong on becoming successful that we forget what success really is. This is a great lesson!
The Fisherman and the Business Man
There was once a businessman who was sitting by the dock in a small village. As he sat, he saw a fisherman in his boat coming towards the shore, having caught quite few big fish. The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
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The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?”
“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch enough fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and when evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink. We play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”
The businessman then said to the fisherman. “I could help you become a more successful person. If you spend more time at sea and catch as many fish as possible, when you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you’ll be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food, and a distribution network. Then you’ll be as rich as me.”
The fisherman asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire. Then you can move to a new house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I’m doing now?”
