How Much Money Is Enough? The Story Of The Mexican Fisherman 

As a mexican, i feel offended by the fact that the mexican is drinking wine instead of tequila

I'm glad that I'm seeing these videos while I'm a kid, so I can enjoy my life to it's fullest, instead of seeing these videos before it's too late.

As a Mexican I can concur that I do walk with maracas in my hands and always refer to people as señor.

So spend the next 25 years working hard to live the life I already live. No thank you senior.

I've heard this story many times in the last few years, but this was the first in video format. Even though I know what is going to happen, it's always a good reminder for me.

I saw this "parable" on a traditional Catholic website, and it immediately struck me. I was thankfully only 41 at the time, and my wife, three little girls, and I moved to Mexico where I slept in, taught English a few hours at our own school, and I took "siestas" with my bride, and played with my kiddos, and in the evening, went out to eat "cena" with my friend who owned a hamburger place ... I still do just that! "I have a very full and busy life, señores"! My pic is about three years old; I am 53, and have no stress. No debt, kids in uni now. Life's great! Thanks for sharing this story. It's a life saver! :D

A little too detailed. We have a local version in Croatia: German tourist sees local on the beach fishing. Says, hey, you know if you sell your fish, you can buy two fishing rods. 'Why?' So you can catch more fish. 'Why?' So you can sell them and buy a net. 'Why?' So you can catch even more fish! 'Why?' So you can be rich and not have to work. 'Mister, I'm not working now!'

Why are you putting on a Mexican accent when you read the part of the Mexican if you already have an accent and already sound like a Mexican 🤔

My cousin worked hard most of his life. And he was successful, getting ready to retire. At 53--years--old, sits down one day.....drops dead of a heart attack. Hard work never hurt anybody, he used to say. My argument is for Moderation and a job that is at least satisfying. Like the fisherman. A vocation that is an avocation.

Damn a big truthbomb dropped here.. I’m really grateful that I found your channel, because it could have been too late for me if I didn’t knew this simple story. I know what to do now, thank you so much!

Having retired recently, I can say that my wife and I have enough. My grown kids wonder why I don’t keep working for a 6 figure income, I could have so much more. We have enough.

My wife and kids left me because I was a Mexican who slept late, fished, hung out at night drinking with my friends ~

When I lived in Mexico, the Mexicans called this, the story of the three fishes.

Knowing what's "enough" is huge. Sadly we Americans have little concept of this...love this story!

Even if you have super mansion with 10 bedroms, 10 bathrooms and milions of $ its all worth fk all if you have to work 60+ hours a week to support that and dont have time/energy to enjoy non of those things. Even a simple 3rd world fisherman is doing better and is more happy. Some people will never understand that ...

Enough is a feast. The Mexican is correct.

I started living my life the way I wanted to live, the day I graduated from High School. Didn't go to College, didn't look for a house to own, didn't buy a brand new car, didn't marry, didn't had kids, didn't save money for retirement, I didn't do anything you suppose to do. At least the things everybody else is doing. I seen to many failures, unhappy faces or they loose what they work for. By not having anything you have everything. I didn't even go into debt. I'm 57 right now, done everything that I had on my bucket list. I just added one more thing and will be doing that with in the next three years. I work, rent, move and just repeat. I actually learn 6 trading skills during this time. Meaning I was able to save a ton of money. I didn't even had one substance abuse of anything as well. So money went far and wide. Earn money and had nothing to buy with it, is actually how you retire and even own a home later. I just bought my home last year, my first purchase owning a home. I payed cash of all the money I saved over those years. I still have a ton of money left, so I guess you can call that a nest egg and I still work. But as I get older my jobs get easier and less hours. Yes less money now, but I don't need that much money. Between jobs I live it up(6-9 months). Now I settle down, to take care of my parents which live 30 minutes away. I'm happy what I done and where I am today. That's what life is all about. I'm just glad I didn't get here by slaving myself.

Remember, the "earn & spend, earn & spend" lifestyle is promoted by Government, Bankers, and middlemen who rely on taxes or fees from your transactions. They need you to stay on the wheel because the upkeep of the wheel makes THEM rich.

This is one of the best channel I have ever seen thanks for my buddy to suggest the channel

So this leaves out the obvious “saving up for retirement” or basically saving up for when you can no longer out on the boat and catch fish... I mean there’s always starvation!

"I have a full and busy life senor". Loved your Mexican accent! Great narrative :)

I appreciate this story so much. I was like that businessman and worked all the time. I thought people who value family life over work are not winners. But recently I had some setbacks at work and started reevaluate my life. I have the world’s greatest husband and parents, cute cat babies, no kids, live in a comfy place, great friends, health... It’s so unnecessary to be depressed just because work is not going well.

Was talking with a coworker and I let him know I was going to be taking a day off for my wife's birthday. He says "that's stupid! You're going to give up hundreds of dollars to spend the day with you wife!" I said "yes I am. By the way how is your ex-wife and kids? Have you even seen your kids lately?" I don't know for sure if he ever put the two together even to this day...

Just to be better than yesterday, Mexicans are Americans, due to the fact that America is the name of the continent not the country. :) Overall, great channel, congratulations!

I like the version where the American realized what he said to the fisherman. Next day , he is relaxing with the Mexican

This is a very good parable. My Father died at the age of 57, after a lifetime of hard work and countless hours of overtime. When I turned 57, Fate offered me the chance to retire. I could have hung on, making more money, but I looked at my Father's tombstone and hung up my gloves. That was 11 years ago, and I have not regretted my decision for one second. If you can retire, do it, or find a lifestyle that is almost like retirement and live it to the hilt. "I wish I had spent more time working," said no one on his death-bed, ever.

All in the Mexican guy went good 'till one day he got a disease, the social security didn't got him his medicines and without money he never could buy them, eventually he died at age of 55. Money is not all in life but it is important.

Funny thing is I stumbled across this video , I myself am a commercial fisherman and i enjoy my job the only times that I really haven’t is when I try to make more out of it more boats more gear more crew trying for more money all this = more stress less time with my family and a beaten on ur body , this story really is so true , yes it is important to be financially secure but u only get one life , u need to slow down and enjoy it sometimes before either u die from stressing urself out sooo much or wake up one day very old and can’t enjoy the things u waited ur life for , J Crab

Love the ending. "I have enough, and I don't need more."

That image of the Mexican isn’t racist at all 🤨

Some might see this as anti-capitalist, but as a capitalist myself, I actually entirely agree with the lesson of the story. I personally have a life goal to become the owner of a flight school, and also have my own machinist workshop (CNC, 3D printing, milling, lathes, etc.). I absolutely love piloting aircraft, and I love making things. However, I currently don't make enough money to do either of those things, so I'm doing what I also love, which is driving, to save enough money for flying lessons. Simultaneously, I'll step up my driving game to big rigs, with hazmat certification, and get some good paying local work hauling stuff for the engineering and agricultural industry. Once I have my pilot's license, I'll look into buying a plane (believe it or not, you can get perfectly good planes for under $35K). I'll open a flight school of my own, and also offer tours of the Cascade mountains and Eastern Washington. I already live a decent life, go fishing, shooting, and hunting, whenever I feel like doing so, but I don't make enough to do these things to the extent I want. I'd like to have a small power boat, but as it is, anything over $1,000 is too damn expensive. Took me over 8 months to build out my AR-15, for example. I don't even own my own car yet - my brother is letting me use one of their old cars (he thinks 2014 is an old car). So yeah, it's good to aspire to reach goals, but like in my case, I don't want jets (though that'd be really cool), don't want to start an airline, I just want to fly and make enough money doing it to keep my airplane running, and to enjoy my other hobbies to a higher capacity than where I am now. All this will take 15-20 years, but you know, that time will pass anyway, and the methods to reach my goals are things I love to do. The funny part in all of this is I was smart enough to stay away from college when I was younger with no clear goal in life. I learn on my own, and now that I have a clear goal, I'm grateful that I didn't piss away money on a stupid useless college degree, because none of what I want in life requires a college degree! I have no debt, no kids (kinda bummed by that, but women these days are awful and don't want families), a 148 I.Q., and all the time in the world. My brother went to engineering school, became a certified electrical engineer, worked for a huge engineering company, married, has 4 kids, but now works a job that doesn't require a college education. He's still about $50K in debt due to student loans, and rarely has time to do what he wants to do. Talking one night over some hard cider around a brick fire pit we built together in his back yard, he sighed and told me he's wondering if I'm the smartest of us 3 brothers. I probably am, but I said to him, "nah, you guys are smarter than me; I'm just the oldest and wisest of us," which is probably also true. Still, I envy his having a family and wealth, but he envies the freedom I have of not having a family, and my flexible work schedule. As the old saying goes, "The grass is always greener." We work together, though, and help each other out. I can give him and his wife free time by watching the kids, and they throw some money my way for doing so, or to drive the kids places. Everybody wins! Like the old saying goes, "every problem is an opportunity in disguise."

No one on their death bed ever said my main regret is I didn't spend more hours at the office.

One time I was in a parking lot about to go into a restaurant; across the parking lot was a guy who was noticeably on drugs while pushing a shopping cart and swinging a stick. He was shouting random phrases, mostly gibberish. One of the things he said, and something I'll never forget, was, "Never go fishing with a Mexican!". And so to this day, I have never once gone fishing with a Mexican.

It’s hard for me to be ‘the fisherman’ because I let anxiety take too much of a lead. I worry about things like getting ill and not being able to fish or my boat breaking down. That’s why I watch your videos, hoping to find balance.

If feel sad when I see such a good channel has so less subscribers.

Only one problem with a story: WIFE. Woo-men need security and will always push you to work yourself out to provide "enough", wife will never accept you working "just a little while" and then hanging around with your buddies, drinking wine and sleep late...

How much money is enough money when the government steals most of your money if not income tax sales tax property tax death tax if you add up all the taxes together whether it be income tax or a consumption tax of some type a large percentage of your money goes to the government who squanders it like a drunken school kid with Daddy's credit card

In India there is a saying "OH GOD GIVE ME ENOUGH TO FEED MY FAMILY AND HELP THE NEEDY" but with time every body forget this

Money and greed, what a fantastic combo. I'll take less money for less stress any day.

Harvard and MBA - run far, far away!

This reminds me of one of my favorite movies: “Clash of the Titans” (2010). In the very end, God (Zeus), asks Perseus, “Why don’t you want to be like a God full of powers and you insist on living like a man?”. Perseus, looking at the horizon and the beauty of nature, replies, “I have everything that I need right here.”

Beautiful story. Lesson learned : DON'T CHASE MONEY! HAVE TIME FOR EVERYTHING, HAVE FUN

You are obligated by the government to have money or else you will have no bedroom to sleep in.

"But I am already doing this now Senior" . . . Having a job is better than having a career - why? . . Because a job is a means to support your lifestyle; but a career IS a lifestyle in itself. A job allows you money and time for the things that matter, like family; but a career allows no time for anyone or anything else, because it's the ONLY thing that matters - and that's something they never, ever tell you in school.

I totally get it; however, this does not take into account funding education for our offspring, nor medical expenses as we age.

I'm Mexican. And I am glad to watch the story my dad used to tell me when I was younger on a RU-vid video and in English.

Im kind of late to the party but here is my take on the story. All things being equal, the mexican has a better life than the american, but for how long is the real question. There are so many older people who can no longer support finishing for themselves, and havn't saved enough money to continue on happily without help. This is a very real problem with hispanic families(ask me how I know). People should focus their early years to create passive income for themselves so THEN they can actually live the life they want to live indefinately.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why our oceans are having the life literally sucked out of them. Good job, “American Businessman.”

I use your video to improve my english listening. Xin cảm ơn

The Richer Man is not the one that has the most Money is the one that need lees

I usually like your videos but I find this one naive, simplistic, and from a point of view of a poor person. It ignores the one foundational principle that civilization is built upon, deferred gratification. Without it, an agricultural society would have difficulty surviving. Your live-in-the-moment fisherman lives like a nomad in a veritable Garden of Eden that one rarely finds throughout human history (lucky him). Yet the life he enjoys is dependent on people like your strawman business man. The fisherman would have no house to sleep in or play with his kids in. There would be no wine to drink, much less a glass to drink it from. And certainly no guitar. It would be highly unlikely that music would be developed much beyond percussive. He is more selfish in a social sense. He only gives back a bare minimum to his community at large. The "business man" you described at 3:40 sounds more like a poor person trying to live like a rich person. It's the reason why 70% of the country is in debt, financial illiteracy. Business man probably has a car he can't afford and a house he can't afford but he pays for with debt. His problem is what you advocate. He IS living for now and paying for it with his future. He isn't working for more and more, the debt just keeps growing more and more until there is no end in sight. This is poor person thinking. Confusing credit with actual money. Your business man prior to 3:40 is a different person. His ideas can build something that can benefit his family and society long after he is gone. He may be greedy, but that doesn't make his idea any less beneficial to society.

Perhaps meeting in the middle will allow a person more security and therefore more freedom life is complex it’s always good to have money to help yourself and family out of a mess

Next story pls..story of the somalian peanut farmer.

When I ran line haul I ran hard as I could taking extra loads. I had a nice F350 paid for , nice boat paid for , well most things paid for , but still going at it like fighting fire. One day while driving across I10 down in Louisiana I seen a little smoking , beat up pickup truck with a mom , dad , and Lil boy between them laughing like crazy. It was an old Nissan truck without a single tire that matched or was Ballanced , some ratty old fishing rods laying inside the roughest old jon boat you ever saw , all in the back of this worn out truck. But this young family was a perfect picture of happiness. Those folks made me do a lotta of thinking from then on.

I love your channel but your stereotypical depiction of Mexicans is cringy as hell... Adiós señor!!

Kenny Chesney's "The Life" is one my fav songs... this story exactly... listen to it, its great!

This story was originally written by the Nobel Prize winner Böll.

So, I’m 64 y o. Years ago, multiple jobs ago, we had enough. We fed ourselves, had a home, I hiked, fished, hunted, went to school and work. I tried to always do better, thus school and multiple jobs. 2006, I retired from the Army. Six weeks ago, I stopped a job that absolutely wore me out. Best money I ever made. Now, 40 years later, I work three days a week, no weekends, no holidays, no call. I can hunt, hike and fish, but I don’t feel like it. I feel old. Maybe I’ll get to feeling better. Texas

My house is paid off, I'm debt free, I work a 9 to 530 job that gives me weekends off. I have no interest in becoming a supervisor or getting into management. I love taking road trips, fishing, bbqing, sitting on my front porch relaxing, and visiting family. I got everything I need. I get asked the same thing when I go fishing. One time I went out to the pier and within 15 minutes I landed a keeper black drum and speckled seatrout. I gathered my catch and my gear and headed out. Walking off the pier I was stopped by a couple that complicated my catch and asked why I was leaving after only 15 minutes. Your on fire they told me being they had been there fishing all day and only landed one fish. I told them I caught what needed and it was plenty to feed myself, wife, and daughter for dinner.

I really enjoyed the story, the question is, how does he survive in retirement age? He would depend on his kids, which is a 50/50 chance they will take care of him. I like the life of the fisherman, but I would definitely have a small business to save for retirement.

Enjoy what you have instead of being unhappy of what you don't have ,

Unfortunately, the fisherman's neighbour listened to the American and soon there was not enough fish left for the Mexican to survive on. The Mexican had to work all hours for his neighbour, for very little money, and had no time left to spend with his family. Excuse my pessimism, I'm British.

The problem is how do you know when enough is enough when inflation eats away at savings, and easy low stress jobs typically don't pay much at all, not enough to save for the future.

I needed to hear this tonight, thank you.

Time is invaluable, and we have less and less of it by the minute till death. If you focus mainly on making money in life, you'll never have enough of it just as in the parable until it is really too late.

Perfect 👍 timing to hear this story! Keep up the great work!

Two major problems with this story: What if you genuinely enjoy productive/intellectual work a lot (as I do), more than many other things? I have no interest in drinking alcohol and playing guitar with my amigos. Secondly, who is to say you have to wait 20 years to enjoy a better life? I've been working hard and steadily increasing my quality of life all the while and am presently a millionaire living a great life meanwhile. This isn't a binary solution. I get it's just a story, but it's super short sighted, especially as described.

I was told this story a long time ago when I was living in Cabo San Lucas, we would see the business minded gringos trying to convince the happy fishermen to do business with them. The fishermen would smile, knowing that they already had everything they needed.

Plot twist. The Mexican is a cartel boss. Already have millions in drug money

Pretty much what Jesus said 2000 years ago!!!

Dude I couldn’t pay attention to the story that well with that Mexican accent, I was laughing too hard 😂😂

Yeah, that's why we're America, not Mexico. That's why 60 MILLION Mexicans are in America right now, a third of them not working, collecting food stamps, welfare and unemployment. And guess what? It's the American businessman who works from cradle to grave to pay for them to do nothing! I need to correct this capitalism lecture a little bit. The Mexican doesn't have to do this for 25 years. If he is that good at catching fish in "a little while," he could easily buy a larger boat within a year, hire and train employees, while he continues to do his daily fishing "for a little while" if he wishes to do so. Meanwhile, he would be earning a retirement income!

The one thing the retired businessman has that the fisherman doesn’t is long term security. Just sayin’.

I thought I was the only one I thought this way

Vejo muitos que teem algum dinheiro infelizes ou esperando a oportunidade de terem mais para que possam ser mais....

I guess this explains why so many Americans are sneaking into Mexico in search of a better life.

The modern day story is that the fisherman couldn’t catch enough fish, so he illegally entered America where the democrats took care of him at taxpayer expense and he lived happily ever after.

I love the Mexican with his sombrero, poncho, maracas and his “señor.”

It's a good reminder during COVID crisis and thank you !

LOL I like how he still has kids after 25 years.

Same as a Buddhist proverb that is over 3000 years old.

Funny, sitting here living that life right now. Retired at 53 with some, but no where near (what I think) is enough $. Pursuing a career in property maintenance, which is barely adda I thoroughly enjoy. First time in my adult life I am truly happy. It is possible, just saying : )

I’m also Mexican. I lived in Mexico and I speak perfect English. Many Mexicans speak English, it’s not surprising. Also you made the Mexican look foolish, and the white person look fantastic. Great job

I heard that story a few years ago, with the added twist at the end, with the fisherman saying, after the businessman finished his spiel with "You can retire to a small coastal village..." etc., "But senor, I already live that life--why would I want to give it up just for more money?"

Probably, this fisherman is right under "recreational fishing" boundary. When above, he would need to get a license, pay taxes, have quotas on fishing, etc.

"Canastitas en serie", bruno traven, is a good story too.

The American has GREED whereas the Mexican has contentment & makes the best of whatever little he has minus the stressful life of the American 😅

I heard this for the first time about a week ago and it is so profound I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. What it says is so true on so many levels. Thank you for that twist on what the bible teaches. Its a great eye opener.

Thank you buddy, for your precious videos.

I have to admit. I kind of saw the ending coming.

Why does he have to be a Mexican fisherman? Do Mexican fisherman wear a sombrero and poncho when they are out fishing? Do American businessman always wear suits when they are on holiday? Do Mexican fisherman always shake marracas while they fish? I'm sharing the story with Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, all the other billionaires in the world, all the Hollywood actors, sports stars, Simon Cowell, minor celebrities etc. etc. etc..

In this story, what percentage of the fisherman's wages go to rent or paying mortgage?

Before the real estate crash of 2008 (caused by the greedy banks and their irresponsible business practices don't forget) I was a house builder and owner of many rentals. I was busy beyond belief. The only way out I could see was to continue with my stressful life and hope to get enough wealth to retire or I could simple fail and give it all up. Luckily the crash did it for me. I lost just about everything but the good part it was not my failure. I had cars including a Corvette and of course a Porsche. My dream house I built for my family was three levels on 10 acres of land (3700 sq ft) with an amazing view. I had two airplanes as I am a pilot and that was my profession before I began in real estate. My friends envied me and at those few given moments I was proud. I came home each day no sooner than 8:00 tired and warn out. The more rentals I bought or built only meant more renters. Renters who couldn't and/or wouldn't pay their rent had the go to plan of accusing me of not providing them a safe and secure home. Yes, some would set me up destroying electrical systems, heat, whatever. The building aspect of my life was rewarding but extremely hard and ended in only more problems with taxes and additional liability. So the story went on like this for 25 years and the bank collapse caught me with 4 house incomplete and no buyers if they were, indeed, completed. Close to a million bucks borrowed to build and no way to pay it all back. What I thought was a secure field, real estate had become a gamble with constant ups and downs that I had to be in sink with or fail the next down cycle. At night I'd dream I had houses unfinished all over town and I couldn't remember where they were. I'd awaken in terror of being incompetent. After the crash my wife divorced me for a guy she thought was a real financial success. I took my broken dreams and my broken heart and began to live the way I wanted every day. I used my real estate and building skills to build a small 900sq ft, house on a third acre. Now all paid for and the taxes are minimal. I sold my planes and bought a small what you'd call a puddle jumper and a nice sailplane. I own a classic old Bronco 1982 and a great running 31 year old pick up. I may begin a project from time to time but of the smallest risk and ease to complete. In the evening I go to town to eat and sing with my friends. Yes, I sleep in most days. My life now is stress free and my time is abundant and free! I should have done this 30 years ago but I wanted my material success. I achieved that and I no longer desire a Porsche (I've had one, no big deal) a huge house is for posers or the truly rich. No more garbage and wild animals finding their way into my pool. No PH monitoring. I don't desire again the many things I had. You can always rent cars and big planes if needed for a day or so and be done with it. I am that Mexican fisherman here in the good ol USA. Life is too short to chase material things you truly don't need. For some it's their destiny for most it's their albatross. I have more pride in my current life because what I have is what I need. This was way too long but most won't read it all they really need is to hear the Mexican Fisherman story. Same thing, really.

You may save humanity with your videos :)

While I agree with the message, why is it always the “bad Americans”? Are you implying there are no American fishermen and no wealthy Mexican businessmen? Also, people are motivated by different things. As long as it’s not hurting anyone, do what moves YOU.

This story is told in many ways, the last time I heard it it was a beach bum and a beach and soaking up sun on the beach.

And then the Mexicans kids got Malaria and a hurricane blew the roof off his small home and his family could do nothing except suffer and grieve... Don’t get me wrong, I like the story. Just adding a little perspective. Contentment is key, but being prepared to provide for your family under any circumstance is essential.

you could of had the same exact story and same result without saying he was mexican.....

Great story and point of course, however, the graphic of the Mexican is pretty racist. I'm sure you just looked up "Mexican cartoon" or something and went with what most people would recognize as a stereotypical image of a Mexican however ignorant it might be. But just think for a moment what would you have posted if the character called for a black person, or Asian? Would you have gone with an equally offensive image of those races? Food for thought next time you want to represent a race in your videos. Maybe just take a little extra time and be a little kinder.

What about unforseen circumstances, medical emergencies, high cost of education, ever rising prices? Need money and more money, don't we?