Who is the Smarter Man?”
As I said before the secret to success is having a good plan, a
lot of determination, and especially patience. In our quest for
success, we should always remember our priorities.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where a person’s success is
measured by the size of their billfold, their car and their
home. To some people, belonging to the country club means they
“have arrived”. To others, where there are multiple country
clubs, they can’t join just any club they must belong to THE
Country Club.
I am reminded of a story that I heard years ago while attending
a seminar.
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist
complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish
and asked how long it took him to catch them.
“Not very long - it is a very nice day and the fish are
plentiful,” answered the Mexican.
“But then I don’t understand, why didn’t you stay out longer and
catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican fisherman explained that his small catch was
sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your
time?”
“I get to sleep as late as I wish, fish a little, play with my
children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go
into the village to be with my friends, have a few drinks, play
the guitar, and sing a few songs…I have a very full life.”
“Hold on a second”, the American interrupted, “I have an MBA
from Harvard and I can really help you! You have to have a good
plan. You need to stay focused on a target - success. You should
start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra
fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the
extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one
and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle-man, you can negotiate
directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own
plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico
City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can
direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered
the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you
can start selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village
near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few
fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and
enjoying your friends!”
That story should be a lesson to all of us. Don’t let the
everyday grind of trying to build a successful business blind
you of what is really important. Don’t be so focused to reaching
a goal that you wear blinders to everything around you.
This is how we treat our business at RightStuffCo. We have a lot
of laughs along the way. Your business should be enjoyable and
not a dredge. Learn a lesson from the smarter man in this story.