Don Ruolo

There are many reasons we work. We need to provide for our families. We need to pay bills. We need to fill the need of having a purpose in our life. It is a great question to think about — why do I work? Let me share a story with you which I think will give you a different perspective and will certainly make you think about your life and work.

A businessman from America went on vacation to a small Mexican village. He was standing on a pier looking out at the beautiful scenery when a small boat with a lone fisherman pulled into the dock. The businessman noticed the catch the fisherman had with him. The fish were amazing in size and quality, but there were only about six fish.

The businessman asked how long it took to catch the fish. The fisherman said it only took him ‘a little while.’ He went on to say he had caught enough fish to support his family’s immediate needs. The businessman then asked the fisherman what he did with the rest of his time.

The fisherman said, ‘I sleep in late, I fish a little, I play with my children, I take a siesta with my wife. I then take a stroll in the village in the early evening to have coffee with my friends as we play music together. I have a great, full and busy life.’

The businessman from America was almost in shock. He responded to the fisherman by telling him the following. ‘I have an MBA from Harvard and I could help you grow your business. You should spend more time fishing, so you can buy a bigger boat. Once you make more money from the bigger boat you can buy several boats and make even more money. Eventually you could have a fleet of boats.’

The business man continued by saying, ‘Once you have a fleet of boats you will no longer have to sell your fish to a middleman. You can then sell your fish directly to the processor. Once you do this you can eventually open up your own cannery. You could have complete control of your product and distribution. You will become very wealthy. You can then move to the United States and run your large corporation from New York City.’

The fisherman asked the American businessman how long it would take to accomplish this. The American told him it would take 15-20 years. The fisherman then asked what he would do after he made it big. The businessman told him he could sell the company and become very, very rich – making millions of dollars. The fisherman asked, ‘Once I have millions of dollars, then what?’

The businessman answered and said, ‘You could retire. Move to a small fishing village in Mexico. You could sleep late, fish a little, take a siesta with your wife, play with your children and then go into the village in the early evening. You can drink coffee with your friends and play music well into the night.’

All too often we get busy chasing our dreams and think someday, when we reach our goal, we can start to live the life of our dreams. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know I am all for pursuing your dreams.

You don’t have to wait until you have the right house, the right car, the right job or the right amount of money in the bank to live your life to the fullest and enjoy it. Start living the dream today!