A Transformed and Renewed Mind
Introduction
A STORY is told of a businessman. He was in Mexico on some business. He went to a little fishing village to kind of get away from the crowd a little bit and wind down. He made his way to the dock and noticed a fishing boat coming in with a big yellow fin tuna hanging on the hook. So he went over to the fisherman and said, “Man, you had a great catch today.”
“I sure did. It was a wonderful catch and I’ve got enough to feed my family and sell a little bit to make a little money.”
The businessman asked, “Are you going to go back out today?”
The fisherman chuckled, “No, I’m through for today.”
“Well, what are you going to do with the rest of your time?”
“I’m going to go home, play with my kids, and take a siesta with my wife. Then, I’m going to go out to the town tonight and get with my amigos. We’re going to fellowship tonight. I’ll probably go out tomorrow for a couple of hours and get some more tuna.”
“Oh,” said the businessman. “Look, I think I can help you. I’m an MBA from Harvard. Just looking at what you’ve got here, you’ve got something that can grow. If you work a little bit longer and catch some more fish, then you can sell it for a higher profit. When you sell it for a higher profit, you can buy more boats. When you buy more boats, bringing in more fish, you’ll be able to afford to skip the middleman and become your own cannery. When you become your own cannery, then you can expand your business so that other fishermen will have to bring their fish to you. Now, you’ll probably have to move, probably to Mexico City. If things continue to expand, you’ll have to then move to L.A. or maybe New York. If your cannery gets to the place where things really explode, then you can take your company public on the New York Stock Exchange. You’ll be a multimillionaire.”
“Sounds great, Señor, but how long will this take?”
“Oh, about twenty years.”
“Señor, after I become a multimillionaire, what happens next?”
“Oh, that’s the best part. Then you can retire.”
“What do I do when I retire?”
“Well,” the businessman said with a slow realization coming upon him, “then you can go to a small fishing village, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and hang out in the evening with your amigos.”
Feeling a bit foolish, he continued, “Well, it was just an idea.”1051