Are You Living

The Good Life?

A Parable by Mark Albion,
author of More Than Money
Many years ago, after I graduated from Business School, I
took a vacation in a small, quiet fishing village, where I
thought I’d be able to take my mind off of business… if only
for a few days.
Walking along the beach before sunset, I saw a small
fishing boat come into shore. Inside the boat were a lone
fisherman and several beautiful yellow-fin tuna. “How long
did it take you to catch those fish?” I asked. “Only a little
while,” he replied.
“Why don’t you stay out a bit longer and catch more?” I asked, certain
there must be a demand for more fish than the few I saw on the boat.
The fisherman smiled and said, “I catch enough to support my family,
and I live a full and busy life.”
“I rise with the sun, fish a little, play with my daughters, have
lunch with my family, and then teach children how to fish
before I stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine
and play guitar with my wife and friends.”
“Listen,” I said, “I have an MBA. I can help you vastly expand your
business. If you spent more time fishing, you’d soon earn enough to
buy a bigger boat. With a bigger boat, you’d catch enough fish to buy
several, then a whole fleet. You’d sell directly to a processor, cutting
out the middleman and greatly increasing your profits.
The fisherman raised an eyebrow. “Eventually,” I said, “you could
open your own cannery and control the product, processing, and
distribution, then relocate operations to the capitol. If all goes well,
you’ll likely find yourself in New York City, in control of a rapidly
expanding empire.”
“How long would all of this take?” the fisherman asked. “Oh, about
ten to fifteen years,” I replied. “And then what?” he asked. “Well,
that’s the best part,” I said. “You’d announce an IPO and sell stock
to the public. At that point, my friend, you would be very rich. A
millionaire many times over.”
The fisherman paused.
“Really, a millionaire? Then what?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” I answered, a bit surprised.
“I mean,” he said, “What would I do if I were a millionaire?”
“What kind of question is that?” I asked.
“Whatever you like, of course.”
“I imagine you’d retire, move to a coastal fishing village where you’d
rise with the sun, fish a little, play with your granddaughters, have
lunch with your family, and then teach children to fish before strolling
into the village each evening, where you’d sip wine and play guitar
with your wife and friends.”
The fisherman smiled and, without saying
another word, began to build a small fire.
Together we shared a taste of the delicious fish
and watched the sun go down over the ocean as
the sound of guitars rose from the village nearby.
Watch the animated movie at our Website or on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JlI959slY