Story on Value of Money, The Village Chief & The Government Official
What is the value of money? Is money really that important?
Long ago, I’ve heard an interest story that totally changes how I perceive things around me and most importantly to understand the term “money” better.
Question: “Is chasing money really worth it?”
Story of The Village Chief & The Government Official
Long ago, there was a governor who wanted to develop the state under his care, but is unsure where to start.
One day, he asked his trusted subordinates to come out with an idea.
There was this subordinate who is smart and wise, he told the governor that he got a bright idea where not only the town can become more developed, it may even help the people living in the state underhis care to live a better life.
The smart government official wants decided to ask the villagers who are living around the area to become productive in developing the town, and the the governor agrees, thus the smart government official he starts his travel.
He came across a river which was known for it’s rich marine resources. While travelling down the river he find a village, with a dozen of its villagers fishing in the river. He realize that this village have the potential of transforming into a fishery where it can help create jobs for the villagers and even to the people living in the town.
If his plan succeed, the small fishery can even help grow the economy in the area and pay taxes to the governor to help develop other areas. If he can convince the village chief to transform it’s village into a fishery, the governor will be very please.
Thus, the government official asked for the village chief and started his presentation.
The government official asked: “How long can you be out in the river to catch such delicious fish“.
The village chief replied, “Not very long.”
The government official asked, “Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?“
The village chief explained that their fishing boat is small, and will not be able to carry a lot of fishes, but it is enough to provide for their families and meet their daily needs.
The village chief added, they preferred to sleep late, fish a little, play with their children, enjoy their time with their wives, and spend their evenings with friends, playing the guitar and singing songs. They were content with their simple life.
The government official is thrilled and think it is a great opportunity.
He told the village chief that he believed that he could help the villagers to improve their lives.
He suggested that they fish longer each day and sell the extra fish to make more money. And when they have more than what they need, they can sell it to the nearby village and even the town. And when they earn more, they can open a fishery business and start creating jobs and hiring people to work and grow their business. And when they are able to grow their business, they can become rich!
The village chief listened patiently and asked, “so… what after that?“
The government official said, “so when you get rich you can have money to spend and don’t have to work.”
The village chief node his head and asked, “so… what after that?“
Feeling a bit annoyed, the government official said, “so when you don’t have to work you can do whatever you like such as fishing, play with your kids and enjoying the time with your wife and meeting up friends.”
The village chief smiled and said, “With all due respect sir, that’s exactly what we are doing now. Why would we want to waste twenty years chasing something that we already have?“
The moral of the story:
“Money is just a medium to get what we want, it is not the thing that we need. If we are already enjoying the things we have, chasing money is meaningless.”
Living The Life Of Your Dream
Living the life of your dream means to be living the life of your choice when you are no longer required to work for a living anymore.
Living the life of your dream does not mean:
- Being rich
- Being powerful
- Being a boss
Living a life of your dream means to live the life doing the thing what you want to do when you retire.
Living the life where you want to live at the end point of your life long pursue.
Money is just a medium of exchange to exchange for most of the things that we pursue in life, but it is not the finale destination in life.
If you are lost in the desert, regardless how much money you have, it is pretty much useless. What you want is food and water.
- As long as someone willing to sell you food or water, you will be willing to pay any price for what you want.
- As long as someone is willing to bring you out of the dessert, you are willing to pay any price they request.
- As long as you will be able to get out of the current situation, you are willing to part with your money.
Money is just a medium of getting what you want, but it is not the end point.
Meaning, if you are not lost in the dessert in the first place, you won’t even need to spend your money to get you out of the situation.
Final Thoughts
What do you understand about “money”?
I don’t reject money, but I know money is not the end point.
Why?
If my goal is to have more time with my family, and doing OT to earn more money will not be my answer. Because it prevents me from reaching what I always wanted, which is “to have more time to spend with my family“.
Know your goals, know what you want before you start chasing money.
“Money” is just a medium, what you really want is something more meaningful, more simple, and more bliss.
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Antony C. is a dividend investor with over 15+ years of investing experience. He’s also the book author of “Start Small, Dream Big“, certified PMP® holder and founder of IncomeBuddies.com (IB). At IB, he share his personal journey and expertise on growing passive income through dividend investing and building online business. Antony has been featured in global news outlet including Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq and Non Fiction Author Association (NFAA).
