Learning to Fish

There is an old saying by Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism, which says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Learn which two principles of success can be found in this statement.

On the streets, for every economically disadvantaged person begging for money there are several kind souls who help out by giving change.  At home, for every dependent adolescent there is a loving parent catering to the child's every need.  In business, for every needy employee there is a caring manager just trying to help.  There is an old saying by Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism, which says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".  Too often in life we ask for fish, and too often others give fish away. Within Mr. Tzu's statement lie two keys to success.

Key number one: we must seek instruction over temporary assistance.  An ambitious young gentleman knocked on the door to my home recently.  He was selling magazines through a company that "teaches economically disadvantaged young adults communication and business skills to help achieve success".  Needless to say, I had a great talk with the gentleman.  Before we parted ways, and after I confirmed he had access to the Internet, I told him I would not be buying any subscriptions, but I would be doing much more for him.  I reached in my pocket and gave him one of my YearToSuccess.com cards, which has no other information besides, "YearToSuccess.com - Are You Ready for It?".  By the look on his face, I could see that he was disappointed, yet a bit curious.  He may have thrown the card away or he may have actually joined Y2S, I may never know.  It is not always easy to accept instruction over more temporary, yet immediately gratifying forms of assistance, but in our quest for success, we must seek the instruction and graciously accept it.

Key number two: we must offer instruction rather than temporary assistance.  I am personally guilty of "giving away fish".  When I sold my web hosting company in 2001, my wife and I gave away a significant amount of money to family and employees in the company.  Just over two years later, many of those we gave the money to are no better off financially than they were before the gift, and several are actually in a worse financial situation.  Why?  How could giving somebody a significant amount of money hurt his of her financial situation?  There are actually many reasons such as poor spending habits, living beyond one's means, and having a false sense of security.  However, I believe the main reason is that giving someone money, or other material goods, hampers their desire to seek a permanent solution to improving their financial situation. The same holds true for doing anything for anyone where, with a little knowledge and persistence, they can do for themselves.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".  Spend your life learning to fish and teaching others how to fish and you will sow and reap the seeds of success.

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