Know where you are going in Life
 01 April 2006

Article 1 / 2

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 selling stock s 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.

Article 2 / 2

There were once 2 brothers who lived on the 80th level. On coming home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they had to climb the stairs home.

After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them. They left their bags there and climbed on.

When they struggled to the 40th level, the younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarrelling all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they had only 20 levels more to climb and decided to stop quarrelling and continue climbing in peace. They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door. And they realized that the key was in their bags which were left on the 20th floor ......

This story is a reflection on our lives...

Many of us live for the expectations of our parents, teachers and friends when we were young. We seldom get to do the things that we really like or love. It is under so much pressure and stress that by our early 20s, we get tired and decide to dump this load.... and enjoy life. Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and dream ambitious dreams.

But by the time we reach our 40s, we start to lose our vision and along with that, our dreams and goal in life. We began to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and criticize. We live life in misery as we are never satisfied. Reaching 60, we realize that we have little time left for complaining and we began to walk the final episode in peace and calmness. We think that there is nothing left that could disappoint us, only to realize that we cannot rest in peace because we have an unfulfilled dream.....a dream we abandoned about 60 plus years ago......

So what is your dream? ......Keep them alive.... Follow your dreams so that you will not live with regrets...... and you will have stories to share with your loved ones.

"Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course,we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away..."