An American businessman was vacationing in a small Mexican coastal fishing village. Standing on the pier one day, he watched a fisherman dock his boat with several large tuna.
The businessman complimented him on the quality of the fish and asked how long it had taken to catch them.
“Only a little while,” the fisherman replied.
“Why not stay out longer and catch more?” the businessman asked.
“I have enough to provide for my family’s needs,” the fisherman replied.
“But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman smiled.
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos.”
The businessman laughed.
“You’re thinking too small. You should fish longer and buy a bigger boat. Then, with the proceeds, buy more boats. Eventually you’d own a fleet. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You’d control the product, processing, and distribution. Of course, you’d need to leave this village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York, where you’d run your expanding enterprise.”
The fisherman asked, “How long would that take?”
“Fifteen or twenty years.”
“And then?”
“That’s the best part,” the businessman said. “You could sell the business, become very wealthy, and retire.”
“And then?”
The businessman smiled.
“Then you could move to a small coastal village, sleep late, fish a little, play with your children, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll into the village each evening where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
The fisherman looked at him and said,
“Isn’t that what I’m doing already?”
I first came across the story of the Mexican Fisherman almost 20 years ago while reading Tim Ferriss’ seminal book, The Four Hour Work Week. Reading it changed my perspective on life and what success actually looks like, and greatly contributed to my philosophy on life and business.
I love this story because it so perfectly illustrates how so many people put off the life we want for the future, when the very thing we’re looking for might already be right in front of us.
Kenny Chesney even wrote a song based on this story:
The older I get, the more I realize all I really want to do is move to Italy, buy a small piece of land where I can grow my own fruits and vegetables, spend time with a woman I love, drink wine with friends, and enjoy la dolce vita by the sea.