So, as I have already admitted I have been wrong. When I was younger, in my late 20's, I had tremendous desires to earn a large income, live in a beautifully nice house, and drive a Mercedes sports car.
Now, well, I was wrong. That's not what I wanted.
Here's a parable to illustrate the process that I went through.
An investment banker was at the pier of a coastal Greek village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.
The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of the fish and asked, “How long does it take to catch them?”
The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”
The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish. The fisherman answered that he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The banker then asked,”But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my beautiful wife Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play cards with my friends…I have a full and busy life.”
The banker scoffed. “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing, and then with the proceeds you could buy a bigger boat. Later on you could then buy several more 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, and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would then need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Athens, then London, and eventually New York, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Greek fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?”
The banker replied, “15 to 25 years.”
“But what then?”
The banker 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,” the fisherman said. ”Alright, then what?”
The banker said, “Well, 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, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play cards with your friends.”
I remember you sharing this parable before. I like it alot. My thoughts are this: It's good to have dreams and goals. With myself I have found that there have been times I have had too high of expectations for myself and our family. I was always living ( or worrying) about the future instead of living in the moment.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the story of the mom who was always saying to herself " things will be better when I don't have to change diapers...things will be easier when I don't have to drive my kids everywhere, things will be better when the kids are grown and off to college..." Was she enjoying the moments NOW...I don't think so.
As I've grown older I've found that I prefer the simpler things in life. I don't need a huge house or a fancy car. Family and friends are my biggest treasures. Enjoying the moments, loving them for who they are and what they are becoming... and yes, still planning and dreaming for the future...just on a simpler scale. :)