An inspirational story: The Mexican Fisherman
The 4-Hour workweek - Escape the 9 - 5, live anywhere and join the new rich
When I first saw the book I thought "here we have another quick rich scheme scam" of the millions that exists on the internet. However the book was recommended by a friend of mine, and then I "took the shot". Since the average customer review on the Amazon is also very high, why not buy the book and read it. That's what I did. And as I said, it is a worth reading, and not a scam at all. The book title is exaggerated, but is a great title in a marketing point of view.
In this book I had contact with a great and inspirational story of the Mexican Fisherman. Here is the Story
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 New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, señor, how long will all this take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years. 25 tops."
"But what then, señor?"
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 to the village in the evening where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.
I don't know who the author is, but this story had a profound impact on my feelings. Why? Because in the past I thought as the businessman, that I would need to be rich to have the freedom of how I would spend my time. In one of my previous posts I explained my big mistake as a founder which reflects this kind of thinking. Now I think like the Fisherman, and it's the road that I want to follow.