The Mexican Fisherman 🎣 & The Life We Actually Want ✨
A quiet Sunday reflection on hustle culture, burnout, simple living, and why so many of us are craving a slower life.
Lately I’ve been noticing this quiet shift happening in so many people… this deep craving to slow down.
Not give up on life. Not stop dreaming. Just… stop feeling like every second has to be optimized, productive, monetized, or turned into content.
That’s what today’s Sunday Slowdown turned into over on YouTube. We started coloring and somehow ended up talking about hustle culture, burnout, nostalgia, simple living, and why so many of us secretly miss slower days.
And it reminded me of this little story that a dear family member sent me: “The Mexican Fisherman.”
I wanted to share it here because I think it explains something a lot of us are waking up to.
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.
The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.”
The American then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish.
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said:
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed.
“I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.
Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution.
You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?”
The American replied, “15 to 20 years.”
“But what then?” asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public, and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions… then what?”
The American said:
“Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
I think a lot of us are realizing we don’t actually want a life that feels bigger.
We want a life that feels like ours.
A slower morning. More peace in our nervous systems. More time with people we love. More presence. More simplicity. More moments that actually feel lived in instead of rushed through.
Anyway… that’s where my head and heart have been lately.
If you want to spend a little quiet time with me today, here’s this week’s Sunday Slowdown 💛
I’m so glad you’re here with me,
Jaylen ✨