I read this story in Tim Ferris' book The 4-hour Workweek. It really struck a note with me and it makes painfully clear how some of us are on the wrong path.
A cruise boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get those?” he asked.
“Not so long,” said the Mexican.
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and feed his family.
“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evening, 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 bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then a third boat, and then more 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. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York! From there you could direct your whole enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty — perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really interesting. 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 beautiful place near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Passion and Success
I recently read this description of Passion:
"Look at any person who is a recognized leader in any field of endeavor and you will see passion. Passion makes things happen which would otherwise be considered impossible. Passion overcomes obstacles which long ago would have killed mere interest or resolve.
Those who are passionate about what they do have an advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome. In passion there is energy, creativity, resilience and persistence. Passion will get it done.
If there is something about which you are passionate, find it, understand it, and connect it with what you are doing. Put the power of passion behind the things you do. Live and act in harmony with a purpose that touches your soul. Go beyond being inspired. Go beyond being merely motivated. Get really passionate and fulfill your greatest possibilities and dreams."
This quotation is from Paul Esajian but I think is the culmination of several contributors. It really hit home for me when I sat back and realized that everything I've been good at, I was passionate about. Conversely, everything that I was poor or mediocre at, I didn't enjoy.
Makes sense, but it means that for any of us to be truly successful, we need to actually like what we do. Although it's a simple concept, how many of us are on that path? The bad news is I believe it's the minority of us. The good news is it's never to late to pursue your passions.
Start to ask yourself: What am I passionate about? How can I start to pursue those passions? What steps must be taken? What obstacles must I overcome? Etc., and you'll be on the right track.
"Look at any person who is a recognized leader in any field of endeavor and you will see passion. Passion makes things happen which would otherwise be considered impossible. Passion overcomes obstacles which long ago would have killed mere interest or resolve.
Those who are passionate about what they do have an advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome. In passion there is energy, creativity, resilience and persistence. Passion will get it done.
If there is something about which you are passionate, find it, understand it, and connect it with what you are doing. Put the power of passion behind the things you do. Live and act in harmony with a purpose that touches your soul. Go beyond being inspired. Go beyond being merely motivated. Get really passionate and fulfill your greatest possibilities and dreams."
This quotation is from Paul Esajian but I think is the culmination of several contributors. It really hit home for me when I sat back and realized that everything I've been good at, I was passionate about. Conversely, everything that I was poor or mediocre at, I didn't enjoy.
Makes sense, but it means that for any of us to be truly successful, we need to actually like what we do. Although it's a simple concept, how many of us are on that path? The bad news is I believe it's the minority of us. The good news is it's never to late to pursue your passions.
Start to ask yourself: What am I passionate about? How can I start to pursue those passions? What steps must be taken? What obstacles must I overcome? Etc., and you'll be on the right track.
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a great Holiday season and New Years. I got to spend Christmas with my family, which was great. I don't get to see them enough.
I'm so excited for 2010. I truly believe this will be a fantastic year. I have lots of goals and ambitions that I know I can achieve. I have a simple Excel spreadsheet that I use to list my goals by category - family, relationship, personal, business, financial, and health. If any of you want it, just email me (jasonwojo@gmail.com) and I'll send you the template. (As I'm sure you ALL know, it's IMPERATIVE to write out your goals!)
When I was making my list of goals, one was to update this blog more often. Then I thought about it, and the truth is, I really don't have something notable or interesting to say on a regular, predictable basis.
With that being true, I probably won't commit to writing every week, but rather when I have something to share I think you might enjoy or benefit from. This way I won't bore you or contribute to the "information overload" that we're all already subject to. I don't want this to turn into a "I just washed my hair and now I'm driving to the gym to do glutes wearing the latest UnderArmor spandex singlet" blog of useless garbage that seems to permeate the internet these days.
I hope you understand and agree!
I'm so excited for 2010. I truly believe this will be a fantastic year. I have lots of goals and ambitions that I know I can achieve. I have a simple Excel spreadsheet that I use to list my goals by category - family, relationship, personal, business, financial, and health. If any of you want it, just email me (jasonwojo@gmail.com) and I'll send you the template. (As I'm sure you ALL know, it's IMPERATIVE to write out your goals!)
When I was making my list of goals, one was to update this blog more often. Then I thought about it, and the truth is, I really don't have something notable or interesting to say on a regular, predictable basis.
With that being true, I probably won't commit to writing every week, but rather when I have something to share I think you might enjoy or benefit from. This way I won't bore you or contribute to the "information overload" that we're all already subject to. I don't want this to turn into a "I just washed my hair and now I'm driving to the gym to do glutes wearing the latest UnderArmor spandex singlet" blog of useless garbage that seems to permeate the internet these days.
I hope you understand and agree!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)