The Greek fisherman!

I am taking a small interuption to share this wonderful little anecdote. Know where you are going in this life. As we enter into the Great Sarakosti for 2011 may we all move that extra step forward in humility and love and repentance:

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An American tourist while visiting a tiny Greek village complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Greek.

"But then, why don't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. Then the American asked,

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, then I fish a little, and in the afternoons play with my children. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, dance a little, drink a bit, and sing a few songs." Then the American offered,

"I have an MBA from Stanford and can help you. You could start by fishing longer every day. You could then sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you could buy a bigger boat.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you could 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 middleman, you could negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You could then leave this little village and move to Athens, London or even New York City! From there you could direct your enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Greek.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And, after that?"

"That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, catch a few fish, play with your grandchildren and spend your evenings singing, dancing, playing and drinking with your friends."

Then the Greek fisherman asked: "With respect, that is what I am doing now. Why take the 25 years?"

The moral of the story: "Know where you're going. You may already be there!"