A colleague recently got so sick that he had to take a leave of absence from the office for two months so he can recuperate. When he got back, the first advice he had for us was, “I now realize the importance of my health. So let’s take care of our health so that we may be able to enjoy our retirement.”
I’m sure everyone of us wants to enjoy our retirement where we get to do the things we want to do after working hard for most of our adult life. What do you want to do when you retire? Travel abroad? Have your own business? What if you’re already too old and sick you won’t be able to lift a bag without hurting yourself?
Our body has it’s way of reminding us we are going overboard. All we have to do is listen and pay attention. Everything is possible if we have good health. In our quest to earn extra income, let’s not forget to live our life today, not when we’re too old to remember even our name.
Let me share with you this story which was shared with me by my friend Eli Gatanela of Businessphereconsulting.
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.
“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican 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, have a few drinks, play the guitar, 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 extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”
“And after that?” asked the Mexican.
“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 middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the Mexican.
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
Article by Glady
Glady has a fulltime job but always on the lookout for rakets or any money making experiments to achieve financial freedom.
