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"Only those who
will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go”.
Work-Life Balance
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”, answered the Mexican.
“But
then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?”
asked the American.
The
Mexican 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
sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,
have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have
a full life”.
The
American interrupted, “I have an M.B.A. from Harvard and I
can help you. 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 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 with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and
playing guitar with your friends!”
“The people who get on in this world are the people
who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they
can’t find them, make them”.
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