Discover the Value of Money
This is a classic tale that is eye-opening for anyone that is striving to attain riches. Getting rich is fantastic, but knowing the price you pay for it is essential. Get rich but don’t sacrifice the wrong things to do so. The following essay was written by Nailia Tasseel, which makes this point eloquently and simply.
A powerful executive was walking along the beach in a small coastal village. He noticed a small boat with just one fisherman. Inside the small boat were several large fish. The executive complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, “Not very long.”
The executive then asked, “Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”
To which the fisherman responded, “I have enough to support my family.”
“But what do you do with the rest of your time?” the executive asked.
The fisherman said, “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 executive quickly interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and 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. After many years of growth, you would need to leave this village and move to the big city where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
“And after that?” the fisherman asked.
“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the executive, laughing. “When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You could make millions.”
“Millions? Really? Then what?”
“Then you could finally retire and move to a small coastal fishing village! There you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings, where you would sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
I hope you find this essay meaningful. Wealth is good, but you also want to be a rich person. You can be wealthy and rich at the same time if you are self-aware. Make business decisions that accomplish both and you will be truly happy.