Ever heard the story of the management consultant who tried to convince a happy fisherman from a small village to work longer and harder to earn more money?

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The consultant asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children and have an afternoon's rest under a coconut tree. In the evenings, I go into the community hall to see my friends, play the drums, and sing a few songs..... I have a full and happy life." replied the fisherman.

The consultant ventured, "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. 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 a large fleet. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a city from where you can direct your huge enterprise."

"And after that?" asked the fisherman.

"After that? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the consultant, laughing, "When your business gets really big, you can start selling shares in your company and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" pressed the fisherman.

"After that you'll be able to retire, move out to a small village by the sea, sleep in late every day, spend time with your family, go fishing, take afternoon naps under a coconut tree, and spend relaxing evenings with friends..."

This anecdote may first make you think that we shouldn’t work too hard to achieve material wealth, as the ultimate luxury is to live a simple life. But for some, this anecdote reflects the root of a question that we spend our whole lives wondering, trying to find the answer for. The purpose of our lives…

Why do we want to become richer?

To feed our shopping addiction… What about those that cant afford bread? To buy a new house…What about those that don’t have basic shelter? To look after our family… What about those that have lost their family in Katrina, Tsunami or the recent earthquake?

There are two kinds of achievement; those for which we are acclaimed in our lifetime and those that last through the ages. Or put another way; those that only change our lives or those that change the lives of others.

Its time we try and achieve the difficult and more rewarding success that we are ever so capable of… Let’s think that it could have been us in Pakistan and India looking for food and water... Let’s help our friends in need, let’s do it now! Please donate...