Who is the Smarter Man?"

As I said before the secret to success is having a good plan, a lot of determination, and especially patience. In our quest for success, we should always remember our priorities.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where a person’s success is measured by the size of their billfold, their car and their home. To some people, belonging to the country club means they "have arrived". To others, where there are multiple country clubs, they can’t join just any club they must belong to THE Country Club.

I am reminded of a story that I heard years ago while attending a seminar.

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 - it is a very nice day and the fish are plentiful," answered the Mexican.

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

The Mexican fisherman 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 get to sleep as late as I wish, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to be with my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a very full life."

"Hold on a second", the American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can really help you! You have to have a good plan. You need to stay focused on a target - success. 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. 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 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 enterprise."

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

"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 children, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends!"

That story should be a lesson to all of us. Don’t let the everyday grind of trying to build a successful business blind you of what is really important. Don’t be so focused to reaching a goal that you wear blinders to everything around you.

This is how we treat our business at RightStuffCo. We have a lot of laughs along the way. Your business should be enjoyable and not a dredge. Learn a lesson from the smarter man in this story.