Posted by Fenix Skai on 26 September 2012
We all know the old saying, "Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for the day, teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for life." There is much wisdom in this teaching, as it is as old as time itself. Yet, though there is some truth to this saying, it's not "the" truth. It's obvious that the man being handed the fish is at an extreme disadvantage and probably living below his potential.
However, I want to focus more on the man that's been taught to fish. We have always been told that he is the wise one. Now that he has learned to fish for himself, he no longer is dependant on anyone to give him anything. He can go out and earn a living comparable to his skill set. He can write his own check...or can he? The truth is that the one taught to fish does not have much more of an advantage over the one given a fish.
We're all Employees, Self-Employed, Investors and/or Business Owners. The one given a fish is simply an employee and although unhappy, he is not willing to put himself in an uncomfortable position to take any risk. Thus "perceived" security is his objective. The one taught to fish is simply Self-Employed. He now has a new skill set, but the business depends on him. If he doesn't show up, there are no fish caught.
Both the Self-Employed and the Employee are bound. Therefore, although nice to be giving a fish and even better to be taught to fish...I have to say the best option is the third option, which is to buy the entire lake and charge all that want to use it to fish. Stretch yourself, dream big and then go do bigger.
