Many people drift through life
without a plan. For some, things work out fine. For most, they end up far from
their intended destination. Others, end up living someone else’s dream, the
victim of another agenda. This almost happened to a Mexican fisherman in a
story told by Tim Ferriss in The 4-Hour Work Week.
An American businessman took a
vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep
after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to
the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked,
and inside the boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented
the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to
catch them?” the American asked.
“Only a little while,” the
Mexican replied in surprisingly good English.
“Why don’t you stay out longer
and catch more fish?” the American then asked.
“I have enough to support my
family and give a few to friends,” the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a
basket.
“But … What do you do with the
rest of your time?”
The Mexican looked up and smiled.
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my
wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and
play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor.”
The American laughed and stood
tall. “Sir, I’m a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time
fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy
several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of
fishing boats.”
He continued, “Instead of selling
your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually
opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and
distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of
course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually New York
City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management.”
The Mexican fisherman asked,
“But, señor, how long will all this take?”
To which the American replied,
“15–20 years. 25 tops.”
“But what then, señor?”
The American 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 would make
millions.”
“Millions, señor? Then what?”
“Then you would retire and move
to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little,
play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in
the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos …”
The only thing worse than
drifting without a plan is having your plans hijacked by someone else.
You can avoid this unfortunate
end and make sure you are fulfilling your unique, God-given calling by
answering these three questions:
Am I living my own dream or someone else’s? If we are not careful, we can unconsciously
be following someone else’s agenda for our lives. This usually happens because
we are unwilling to take responsibility for our own lives.
What is my dream? This can get lost in the complexity of life.
As a result, we need to pause and remember our own agenda. What is it that we
believe God is calling us to be and to do? What is our passion? What would we
do if we were brave?
What can I do now to move in the direction of
my dream? The only way to reclaim our
dream is to reject all substitutes and begin moving in the direction of our
dreams. We don’t have to do anything heroic. We can start small and take baby
steps. The issue is to make sure we are making progress toward our goals.
Don’t spend your life fulfilling
someone else’s agenda. Accept responsibility for your own life. Pursue your
goals and live your dream. Live an intentional life.
Question for thought: Has
your life ever been hijacked by someone else’s agenda? You can leave a
comment.
