The following story was shared to me by a good friend. The author is unknown, but the perspective is clear. The ride is short. Relish it. Enjoy it now, and never forget to laugh often and much.

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A very successful businessman was taking a much-needed vacation in a secluded coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman pulled into the dock. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.

The businessman was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the local fisherman how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.” The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish?

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

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

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

The businessman scoffed, “I’m a renowned consultant, 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 the city where you would run your growing enterprise.”

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

The businessman answered, “Maybe 15-20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the fisherman.

The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an initial public offering (IPO) and sell your company stock and become very rich. You could make millions.”

“Millions, señor? Then what?”

To which the businessman replied: “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 a siesta with your wife ….”