Why the Most Successful People Are Stepping Back, Not Scaling Up (A Simple Story, 4 Big Lessons)
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Did you know that some of the most successful leaders in the world block out time on their calendar just to think? Not to execute. Not to scale. Just… to reflect.
Because growth without clarity is not success. It’s exhaustion.
Let’s get into it.
What’s Inside:
● A modern take on the classic fisherman vs. banker story.
● 4 self-leadership lessons for defining what “enough” means to you.
● This week’s top book, podcast, and quote picks.
The Parable That Stopped Me:
The Fisherman & The Banker
A wealthy banker was vacationing in a quiet fishing village when he saw a local man pull in just a few perfect fish.
“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” he asked.
The fisherman smiled. “This is enough. I fish in the morning, then I spend time with my kids, nap with my wife, and drink wine with friends.”
The banker, amused, launches into a 20-year plan. “But if you worked more, you could scale. Buy a bigger boat. Build a fleet. Make millions. Retire early.”
“And then?” the fisherman asks.
“Then you can finally relax. Fish a little. Play with your kids. Nap with your wife. Drink wine with your friends.”
The fisherman grins, “Isn’t that what I’m already doing?”
The Real Lesson:
Leading Yourself Before You Lead Others
On the surface, this is a story about simplicity.
But if you look closer, it’s really about clarity.
While the banker saw success as scaling,
the fisherman saw success as alignment.
This is about deciding what “enough” means for you,
and then lead your actions accordingly.
Here are 4 lessons I take from this that apply to how we lead, work, and grow:
1️. Define Success Before You Chase It
The banker assumed the fisherman wanted more money, more boats, more prestige. But the fisherman already had what he valued most: time, love, presence.
Here’s the truth:
most of us chase goals we never actually chose. A bigger team, a higher title, or a larger paycheck feels like progress, until we realize it’s pulling us away from what we value most.
How often do we pursue goals we never consciously chose?
🔎 Reflection:
Have you clearly defined what “enough” means for you?
2️. Ambition Without Awareness Is a Treadmill
The banker’s plan was ambitious, but it lacked perspective.
What if those 20 years of growth actually stole the very life he hoped to enjoy at the end?
If you spend 20 years chasing success, only to circle back to the life you could have lived all along… was it worth it?
📌 Ask yourself:
Is your growth serving your life, or is your life serving your growth?
Is your ambition fueling your life, or stealing it?
3️. ROI Isn’t Just Financial
In the banker’s mind, the only metric that mattered was money.
But the fisherman measured return differently:
Time to watch his children grow up.
Health from rest and balance.
Joy from music and friendship.
We don’t often put those in a spreadsheet, but they’re often the reason we start chasing money in the first place.
📊 Self-check:
Are you measuring ROI in dollars only, or also in energy, freedom, and fulfillment?
4️. Opportunity Cost Cuts Both Ways
The banker believed the fisherman was missing out by not scaling.
But here’s the part we rarely talk about:
Scaling might get him the yacht, but what if it costs him his health, his marriage, or his presence with his kids?
He might get that fleet, but lose his marriage in the process.
He might build wealth, but miss his children’s childhood.
He might retire rich, but find himself lonely with no friends left to share that wine.
Opportunity cost isn’t just about what you lose by not chasing growth.
It’s also about what you might lose if you do.
🔥 Power Prompt:
What are you sacrificing in pursuit of “more”?
And is it aligned with what truly matters?
My Key Takeaways
For me, the point of this story isn’t to say that the fisherman is right and the banker is wrong. It’s also not to condemn ambition or encourage laziness.
👉 It’s to recognize that we all have different purposes, and therefore, different definitions of success.
For the fisherman, success is living simply, being present with family and friends.
For the banker, success is building, expanding, and achieving.
Neither is better. Neither is wrong. But neither should be imposed on the other.
👉 I believe they each made choices based on what they value.
That’s the point.
Self-leadership is deciding what matters to you, and building around that.
Your version of success doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s.
But it does need to be lived intentionally.
Linked And Lift Picks
Book: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel – for redefining wealth beyond dollars.
Podcast: The Daily Stoic – episode on “What’s Essential?”
Quote: “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie
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Until next time,
Veronique Barrot
Founder, Linked And Lift
Coaching leaders to grow inside out.
Follow me on LinkedIn where I share self-leadership and growth insights 6 times a week.