I think it was about 25 years ago when my first cousin – Gaurav Seksaria narrated this story to me.
It was about 2 men on a beach and a lesson that the story contained.
I am sure most of you have heard it before, but I will describe the story after a couple of paragraphs.
What’s the point of this post?
It’s about the moral of the story, the way my cousin described it, that never really went down with me.
Yesterday, while presenting a keynote at the SP Jain Institute of Management, a student asked me a question about why had I launched an Internet business in India in 1998 – when the Internet barely existed here… and how futile it is to start up early… While answering her question, I had an Epiphany that solved the moral of the 2 men on the beach story that I personally had not accepted 25 years ago.
First the story:
There are 2 men on a beach.
One man is really relaxed, the other man, a bit distracted.
The easy going man asks his friend, “What’s distracting you?”
The friend says, “I have to leave soon since I have work to do.”
The easy guy says, “What work? What do you wanna do?”
The friend says, “I want to go out into the world and work really hard. I wanna start a Company and make it very successful.”
The other guy says, “Ok, and then?”
The friend says, “Then, I will become rich and successful. I will have created lots of Capital.”
The easy guys says, “Ok, and then?”
The friend says, “Then, I will create more Companies. I will own a Conglomerate of Businesses.”
The other guy says, “Ok, wow. Then?”
The friend says, “Then, I will make so much money that I will be able to hire the best managers in the world to run my businesses.”
The other says, “Hmmmm! And?”
The friend says, “Then, I will buy an Island with a fabulous beach.”
The easy going friend gets very excited. He says, “Oh Man, and then???”
The friend says, “Then, I will relax all day long on the beach.”
This is probably what the other guy was hoping to hear. He tells his friend, “Dude, aren’t we DOING THAT right now…??! So why bother?”
***
Now, when Gaurav told me the story, I had kinda heard it and parked it away somewhere in my mind. BUT something just didn’t seem right TO ME.
YESTERDAY, that missing piece of the JIGSAW came out of nowhere and completed the story.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY, as I think, is that the Friend who went out in the world, fought, created value and Won, had something AMAZING that his beach bum friend DID NOT HAVE.
HE HAD A STORY TO TELL !
A REAL, AMAZING STORY.
To me, THAT’s the real KICKER for entrepreneurs. The money, the fame, the glory is all fine. BUT THE HONOR TO TELL A STORY is granted to a select few!
When the student asked me yesterday why I had started so early and suffered so much etc. etc., I answered her in questions in a single line.
I said, “That’s why I am here, standing and speaking on this stage…. and addressing all of you.”
GO OUT THERE AND WRITE YOUR STORY…!
*******
Anurag Rastogi
Great story. To summarize, its the journey that is the reward!
Farshid Master
Woh Woh Woh….I had heard the same story but the version was “Two Fishermen” – One a DREAMER and the other a CONTENTED guy…..And the same question has been posed to me by my family and some friends so many times and I had got no answer to it…..You completed my puzzle too….Thanks a lot…..Dream ON Rodinhoods…..Here’s a short poem by Mother Teresa for all of us…..& I think every line holds so much truth for Entrepreneurs / Start ups / Dreamers….
Ashutosh Goyal
awesome
Tejas Patel
Agree Frashid. I have heard this story few times from few wise people and always had the problem with the contended person. And this just makes sense that a person who has been there and done that has a story and often times a better story to tell. Thanks Alok.
Abhishek Dabas
I believe the end goal for the guy was “Relax on the Beach” and the moral in that case would be something like “dont lose sight of what you really want in life”. If your end goal is having a good night’s sleep day in day out, it needn’t be a mansion or a private beach in this case. The story is probably for people who lead a confused existence. Thats not us, right?
All said, “A Story to Tell” or “Bragging Rights :)” is a damn good reason to live!
ANKUR
Good One ….
Anamika Joshi
For me, the beach bum frnd was the one who was hero in this story, always….as i have heard this story in various versions..But its after reading this post, that i have gladly changed my choice of Hero 🙂 Thanks! may be I am in the process of creating a story to be told over a podium someday:)
Saurabh Poddar
I agree to the philosophy of writing your own story……..
Abey John
Alok you are mistaken. The beach bum also has stories to tell. If you ask him he’ll tell you about the sunset and sunrise, how a colony of crabs moved from one corner of the beach to other, how the olive ridleys snuck in at night, laid their eggs and left. How he stood guard over the eggs from the poachers and predators and watched over them with pride when they broke through their shells and waddled off to the ocean….those kind of stories. A different kind of romance. A different set of values.
The beach bum is criticized for not having a lust for values. While in fact he doesn’t feel the need to define his identity by manufacturing value. That’s the crux of the story. One person achieves happiness by wrestling with nature and manufacturing value the other by imbibing the value that already exists in the universe. Both have stories to tell.
Net net everyone’s payoff from telling the story is a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Equating that sense of happiness as being more valuable because you sit on the beach and lazily let the sand run through your fingers or because you go out into the world suited booted and kick ass and employ 24 million people is just the politics of rivalry between the two philosophies.
Both are valid paths to happiness. That’s the end game. ‘Happiness’.
Balwinder
well said …….. and very aptly put.
Divyesh Panchal
Fuck. This was awesome. And you are one hell a good story-teller. Always inspire us to make stories and share it with the world!
Thank you!
Gunjan Kejriwal
nailed it ! goosebumps ! got a great insight in this one ! i have wondered too..