Do you love fishing?

Well, it's Monday once again and I hope you all had a nice weekend. I did. Spent the day working a bit, watching a bit of House Season 1, a bit of 24 Season 4, and a lot of eating. S$%&e! Oh well. Ganun talaga.

I would like to start my day by sharing this very beautiful story I got (and already posted once) somewhere:

An MBA graduate visited a small village on his graduation trip and saw a lone man fishing by a pretty lake. Curious about the lives of such quaint folks, he asked the fisherman how he spends his days.

“Well I usually fish by the lake for about an hour or two, go home to feed my wife and kids and then we’ll spend the night singing as I strum along on my guitar.”

The MBA graduate was astounded by what appeared to be a lack of productivity, “Listen old man. I graduated from Harvard Business School, and I can tell you what to do to become filthy rich. You should really start by working longer hours and catching more fish.”

“I always catch enough to ensure that my family is well-fed…” The fisherman said. “Whatever would I do with all the surplus fish?”

“You could sell them in the market and earn a profit. Think about expanding the business altogether!” Exclaimed the graduate, now on such a roll that nothing could contain his excitement and his eagerness to share his new knowledge with the world, “With the profit, you can invest in better fishing equipment that will increase productivity. With all that money earned, you can outsource the actual fishing by hiring help. You’ll make more by managing the business. Hell, you could make millions!”

The fisherman nodded slowly. “And then what would I do with the millions?”

“And then – this is the best part - you retire!” Said the graduate, now glassy-eyed as he thought of his own retirement, some fifty years into the future. “Move to somewhere scenic and peaceful to spend quality time with your family, doing something you’ve always dreamed of doing. Isn’t there something you really love to do?”

The fisherman lifts his head to the sky and ponders for awhile. “Well I really like to play the guitar...”

The MBA graduate leaned forward.

“And I sure love fishing.” Said the fisherman.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I know this is easier said than done… But I posted the story anyway, in case this would somehow remind us of what we really want -- wait, what we really love to do in our life. Why do we work? Why do we pursue post-graduate studies? Why do we do whatever it is we are doing? My point, I guess, is simply to set things in perspective, in their right perspective.

I urge you guys, if you have time, to read these posts: on boldness and on quitting their jobs to do what they want. Of course, they did not do this as if it was a walk in the park -- they had to cut down on so many things, like shopping, unnecessary "sin coffee", probably cut down on weight loss pills, etc. But the point is, they made it happen. Lois and Chichi are good friends of mine who loved "fishing" and enjoying it right this moment.

Carpe diem!