Why Did You Get in the Music Business?

NOTE: I'm not the author is this, but feel it's a great lesson for this blog...especially for those who got into this business in order to pursue a certain lifestyle or because they love playing music.

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.

"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 or 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 selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said 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."

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life ... you may already be there.

Thoughts?  Post 'em below...

Comments

[Keith Mohr]

Bigger is not better.. Better is better.
Our culture is obsesses with numbers and production.

We should create for the love of creating, not for what we think we should get out of it.

[David Hooper]

Bigger is NOT better?

All these emails I get in my box have been lying to me!! ;)

[Denise]

Great story. I am so glad to be Indie!

[Nancy Newlis]

Really good analogy.

[Edward Mendoza]

That was a powerful story, thanks for sharing. For the last several months, I really feel like the
fisherman in your story; hopefully I don't lose track and try to be like the American tourist!

[Sunset.Mushroom]

You can go your entire life without learning this lesson

[ansi]

I love this one! If you would, though, please credit it to its original source - it's a secondary anecdote from Tim Ferriss' book, "The Four Hour Workweek".

[David Hooper]

Actually, this story was around long before Tim Ferris' book.

http://www.noogenesis.com/pineapple/fisherman.html for example, which was last updated in 2002.

There is a lot of stuff in that book, which wasn't from where it was credited. Like the "Slow Dance" poem, for example...

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/medical/slowdance.asp

Good stuff though.

[Ernie Zelinski]

Hey David:

Weird, you just started following me on twitter and I checked out your link and came upon your story about the businessman and the fisherman.

Well, I first came upon this story in a column by Graham Hickes in the Edmonton Sun.

I then modified it a bit and used it in my book "The Lazy Person's Guide to Success" (published in 2005) and also on my "The Joy of Not Working" website ( http://www.thejoyofnotworking.com/ )

Then in August 2008 I received the following e-mail from author Mark Albion about the origins of the story.

----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Albion
To: vip-books (at) telus (dot) net
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:19 AM
Subject: The Businessman and the Fisherman

I am the former Harvard Business School student and professor who wrote this story over a decade ago, but it is based in Buddhist tradition, Russian Folklore and similar to a lighter story written in 1963 by Henrich Boll, which I had never seen until this year. It is now a shareware 3-minute animated movie. Go to YouTube or FaceBook and put in "Mark Albion" and you will find "The Good Life Parable," and my new book with the story, More Than Money: Questions Every MBA Needs to Answer, found at the BK website.

in service, Mark Albion
Co-founder, Net Impact, A Network of Young Leaders Who Use Business for the Good of All
author, Berrett-Koehler, A Community Dedicated to Creating a World That Works for All
"Making a Life, Making a Living."

I hope you find Mark Albion's e-mail interesting because I did.

Ernie J. Zelinski
Author of "The Joy of Not Working"
(Over 225,000 copies sold and published in 1"7 languages)
and "How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
(over 100,000 copies sold and published in 7 foreign languages)
Featured at http://www.retirement-cafe.com/ and http://www.fun-at-work.org/

[Dale Marsh]

David, was checking you out after finding you following me on Twitter and wound up here. Great story ...greater wisdom! Thanks to Mark Albion for writing it.
It reminded me of a verse from a song I wrote a few years ago called "The Clock Keeps Ticking" and thought I would share it.

"You know they say the grass is always greener,
But should I cross, it's so hard to decide.
Just as I'm about to take my exit
Turns out I'm already on that other side ... greener grass and bluer sky."

Ciao,
Dale Marsh
www.dalemarsh.com

Wag more ~ Bark less

[J-Hi]

This is the same lesson as: "I do Coke so I can work longer so I can make more money so I can buy more coke..." ad infinitum.

[Dan-O]

I love that story. The thing I love about the Internet and sharing my music from my own Website is that no one and nothing stands between me and someone who wants to download and listen to my music. (Well, except Google)

I spent many years chasing deals, press reviews and all that. But the only purpose of those entities is to get music in the hands of people. Thanks to Google now my life is simple...I make music, I post music, people find my music.

Dan-O
http://www.danosongs.com