The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman

The Parable of The Mexican Fisherman is one of our favourite stories. For us, it’s fun, packs an important message.

Stay tuned following the story as we have some empowering questions we want you to ponder…

The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman

An American investment banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.

The investment banker was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Mexican how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.”

The banker then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican fisherman replied he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos: I have a full and busy life, señor.”

The investment banker scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA, and I could help you. You could spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats until eventually you would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”

Then he added, “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City where you would run your growing enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the Mexican.

The American 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 could make millions.”

“Millions, señor? Then what?”

To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

The end.

No doubt some of you will be able to relate to this story in some way. It does very well at demonstrating that the traditional success measures are not what each of us need to be testing ourselves against. We feel it also highlights the importance of having your own Money Plan so you know exactly what, how and why you do what you do with your money.

And lastly, the story is a great segway for us to ask you the tough questions of you!

• What do you need in your life to be happy and fulfilled?
• How can the money you earn be used best to help you achieve happiness and fulfillment?
• Does this story help you achieve more clarity on what financial freedom for you means?
• How much money do you need to live your version of the Mexican fisherman?
• Would living a simpler life now allow you to achieve financial freedom sooner?
• What is the next small step you need to take to progress closer to your ideal lifestyle?

We hope you enjoyed the story and that you now have a little more clarity as to why money is important to you.

Cheers,

Dan and Dave