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THIS WEEKS THOUGHT - The Mexican Boatman - 22nd July 2007

Reading / Viewing Time 1 minute 30 seconds    FOR A PODCAST PLEASE CLICK HERE 

I read this story a couple of months ago in Nightingale Conant's Insight magazine and thought it was a great story. Then last week Peter Thomson author of the fantastic audio program The Achievers Edge sent me through the same story saying it had changed his life. So with no more introduction here goes.

An 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."

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  Richard Branson's Auto biography
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  Freakonomics - Stephen Levitt
 Getting Things Done - David Allen
 The Machine That Changed the World
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A Short History of Nearly Everything- B Bryson

Archives

The World in Perspective

Acres of Diamonds

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The Two Minute Rule

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Other books and CDs I've mentioned can be found here

There are loads of great audio programs at Nightingale Conant's ,web site here,

The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate 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 a 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 LA and eventually New York where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then?"

The American laughed and said that's the great 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,

Here’s the best bit...

"Then you would retire. 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, Maria, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

What a great story with loads to think about

Till next week,

Life's a journey not a destination, so enjoy what your doing

David Gardner

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