hillaryvillagers

A boat docked in a tiny Greek village. An American tourist

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 didn'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.

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, dance a little, play the

bouzouki, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA 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 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 middleman, you can negotiate directly

with the processing plants and maybe even open your own

plant.  You can then leave this little village and move to Athens, Los Angeles or even New

York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

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

"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

grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your

wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing and playing the bouzouki with your friends.

A reminder to be thoughtful about your life and the stresses it brings. Sometimes simple is best.