Are Your 2023 Goals Aligned to Your Future You?
As I set my goals for 2023, a friend reminded me of a parable he once shared that I had forgotten. He emailed me the story shortly after our talk. It goes like this:
A businessman was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal town when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it. The businessman was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the fisherman how long it took to catch them.
The man replied, “Only a little while.”
The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman replied that he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The businessman then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take naps with my wife, stroll into the town each evening where I sip wine and laugh with my friends. I have a full and busy life.”
The businessman scoffed. “I have an MBA, and I could help you. You could spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats until eventually, you would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the middleman, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”
The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the businessman replied, “Fifteen to twenty years.”
“But what then?” asked the fisherman.
The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You could make millions.”
“Millions? Then what?”
To which the businessman replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small town where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take naps with your wife, stroll to the town in the evenings where you could sip wine and laugh with your friends.”
The parable reminded me to consider what represented my “sleep late, fish a little.” It reminded me of the daily struggle to connect what I do with what I want to be.
How about you? Are your goals taking you where you want to go? Are you making choices today that align with where (and/or who) you want to be? As for me? I know this much: I’d have to substitute craft beer for the wine, but generally the rest sounds pretty good.
Notes:
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