The Happiest Fisherman In The World
Bud / 
33 Comments / 
February 26th, 2010 / 
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Back when I used to live in Shanghai I had a particular spot just outside the city that I would often go to just to get away and think. Whenever I was feeling overwhelmed or needed sometime to myself, I would take my electric scooter and venture the 15 minutes over to what I later claimed as my “thinking rock.”
While I spent most of my time at my thinking rock pondering life’s questions or simply meditating, my thinking rock also provided hours upon hours of conversation with some of my closest friends, with subjects such as religion, purpose, and love being discussed. For just a rock, it really was a place in which I came find myself. Today I’d like to share with you a story of a moment that changed how I view the world.
One weekend my friend (girlfriend at the time) and I were looking for something to do, so we ended heading over to my thinking rock to just sit outside and relax. Little did I know that moment would completely change how I looked at happiness.
Right by my thinking rock there was a small canal that many of the local Chinese villagers would use to fish. It wasn’t the cleanest canal to be sure but many of the villagers used it as their source of food nonetheless. On this particular day while talking with my friend we happened to notice a Chinese couple wading in the water trying to catch a fish.
It wasn’t long before my friend and I were both caught up watching the couple. While watching someone fish isn’t always the most entertaining, there was something about this couple that caught our eye.
“Look at how happy they look” I said.
To which my friend replied, ” I know, they look so peaceful.”
After many failed attempts to catch a fish, their lucky finally struck and a few small fish ended up in their net. Now it’s safe to say most people are happy when then they catch a fish but this couple was nothing short of ecstatic. Upon catching the fish their faces lit up with an enormous smile and they gracefully embraced in a full body hug.
” Look at them smile” I said softy.
“They must really love one another.” My friend answered.
Seeing the fisherman and his wife so happy literally made me cry . Here I was living on the other side of the world watching two extremely poor Chinese villagers fish for what was most likely their dinner, but yet they were perhaps the happiest people in the world.
Never before had I seen two people appreciate the present as much as they did.
They were so engrossed in the process of fishing that they enjoyed every moment. They didn’t have time to worry about all their fears or insecurities or anything else that was going wrong in their life. They were focused on making the most out of that moment with one another and that in turn produced utter happiness. To this day I still recall the story in such vivid detail because it changed the way in which I viewed the world.
So what can you take away from the happiest fisherman in the world? Here are 5 lessons you can apply to your life.
Open Your Eyes: So often we just move from one activity to the next never appreciating what’s in front of us. Start to notice the people and places you take for granted. Be mindful of your surroundings and begin to see the world for the beautiful place it is. Realize that much of what you think you need is already right before your eyes. Are you open to what you have been given?
Happiness Is Free: I realize this isn’t an original idea, so in respect to recycling I apologize, but so many people continue to forget that the best things in life are free. No amount of money will give you the experience of genuinely living. Instead of thinking big, simply appreciate the small experiences that have made you who you are today. Go on a walk. Talk with a friend. Devour the experiences that make your soul sing.
Appreciate The People You Love: Seeing the couple embrace was a really powerful reminder that we must appreciate those that we love. Often we take our friends and family for granted thinking that we can just fall back on the excuse of tomorrow, but the reality is tomorrow doesn’t always come. You don’t need to wait to say a simple “I love you.” You don’t need to wait to thank someone for all that they have done in your life. There’s nothing better than giving and receiving love.
Everyone is Lucky: It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from you are lucky. You’re lucky to have a roof over your head. You’re lucky that you’re not worried about where to find your next meal. Even if you are struggling financially, realize that you are still luckier than HALF the entire world. Happiness in your situation lies in how creative you can be. Whether you consider yourself fortunate or not you are lucky, don’t waste that luck.
Be Present: Watching the couple reminded me how important it is to be present. The simple task of fishing was enough for them to really get the most out of life. Just observing them being present really had a profound affect on how I viewed the world. I remember how when watching them time literally slowed down. Being present is often difficult to do but I assure you the reward is well worth the effort.
Here we are living in society of more-more-more, always trying to chase the next best thing. A bigger house, a faster car, all at the expense of forgetting whats important. Seeing the couple first hand made me ask for the first time in my life:
What if we have it all wrong? What if our pursuit of happiness is misery in disguise?
I’m not suggesting material things can’t make a person happy, but rather our reliance on them is what makes us miserable. It’s ironic to think that watching a couple fish for 30 minutes changed my life forever.
Yet one thing is inherently clear, it doesn’t take loads of money or fame to make you happy. The truth of the matter is you’re richer than you think. Just ask the happiest fisherman in the world.
What make you happy? How are you blessed? Please share in the comments below.
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Hi Bud,
super cool post.
Yes, the best things in life are for FREE. Learning to see beauty in “ordinary” things is what can transform our lives instantly. Seeing the same world with different eyes>>> When we will silence our self-centric, “me only me” voices in our head and we will allow us to be part of the events around us, we will see and feel things which we were missing to notice before.
There as I say: Life is super cool!
Have a blissful weekend, folks!
cheers,
i.
Thanks for stopping by Ivana! Wearing the “different eyes” lens really does change our world.
Life is INDEED super cool.
Love that post! The last one is the best — be present!
Thanks Dani!
Hey Bud!
I gotta say, I found this post to be very timely. It resonates with me on a deeper level than the surface. So thank you for that. And also thanks for sharing some wonderful insight!
A good friend of mine gave me a small pocket sized book. Its entitled “Passport to the Soul” and it has some of the best quotes I have ever read. I could have posted any one of them, but two that came to mind were these two.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
-Marcel Proust
“Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard if you but dig for them.”
-Russell H Conwell
Hey Kevin. Glad I could help buddy.
Your pocket book sounds really cool. I’ll have to get me one of those.
Love this, so uplifting
I like your style
What makes me happy? Spending time with my partner, eating good food, long hot baths, understanding something, writing a good post, spending time with friends.
Glad to hear you’re so happy mate! Thanks for stopping by.
Hey Bud, that’s a great story. I recently read a related story, which said that you don’t need to have something in order to be happy, an you can be happy at all times. Those couple were happy because they was enjoying the simplicity and freshness of the situation. Great post
Hey Oscar. I’m not sure you can be happy all the time to be honest.. although I can’t say that for sure cause I’ve never experienced it. Being happy is great but I also think being sad plays a large role in growth. That isn’t too say you should try to be sad on purpose but rather just a normal part of life.
It really was a life changing moment for me.
Thanks again dude.
I read a great blog post about that some time ago (can’t remember where) that I completely forgot… thanks for reminding me, Oscar!
The main idea was this:
You don’t need anything to be happy. You can just choose to be happy. Anytime.
Yes, even right now. Put a big smile on your face. Come on, do it. For no reason at all. Be happy because you WANT to be happy, not because something happens in the outside world.
…
(I’m happy right now. Yay!
)
Glad you’re happy man!
Living is the present is so hard to do. So many of us are waiting for our lives to start for something profound to happen-we’re stuck. We exist in this world should be the defining profound moment. We ask “is this all there is”, nope, there is so much more if are minds are open to it. Thanks for the post.
It only gets easier with practice Erin.
Like Kevin, I’ve found this post to be very timely as well (funny how life seems ‘connected’, isn’t it?
).
Just when after all that’s happening in this week, watching the beautiful lights of the town at night from atop of the mountain has made me think of “what does it mean to be really HAPPY?”
And then, being the usual me, I immediately browsed through the ‘magic’ called Internet, while still pondering, and voila! I’ve found this wonderful, beautiful made-me-smile post of you, and also another from -funnily- Yahoo answers, and an online friend’s blog, with great eye-opener sayings as follow:
“Ever notice that nobody complains when life is unfair in their favor?”
“Because life is not about reaching and attaining your goals. Life is about living in alignment with your purpose every single day, to your best of abilities.” – Celestine Chua
I especially like your point #2, that happiness is free.
There were often times that I guess I became to much fixated on what I *want* to become, my dreams, etc. But often it’s at the cost of forgetting the beautiful things & people in the present time that’s been surrounding me!
And when I started to realize that, and really opened my eyes (ie: wearing the “different lenses”), suddenly I started seeing many simple-yet-beautiful things in life, many variations in people, and ‘spices’ in life….which I think what you also want to illustrate in your point #2, right?
And I think it’s also strange-but-funny, that some of my Western friends & customers said that they’re somewhat ‘envious’ of my people (ie: Indonesians), that although many Indonesians are still living in very poor conditions, yet strangely they’re able to SMILE & LAUGH a lot, abundantly, among their hardships & simplicity in life, while my Western friends often COULDN’T do that, despite they’re living in a seemingly ‘enviable’ luxurious conditions! What a paradox (is this the right word to use?
)!
Which in the end, it seems to be more truer to me, that indeed, perhaps “happiness is really free”, and it’s all a matter of what “lens” we are using when viewing & going through our life!
Hi Niki, yes paradox is the right word. A paradox is an apparent contradiction – the implication being that it is not a real contradiction when we look a little more closely at it.
I’m a westerner – and so very wealthy compared to the rest of the world – though a little below average wealth in my country (Australia). It really is striking how poor people are often happier than wealthy people. I think it is often because wealthy people focus on money while the poor focus on their friends and family. I’d be interested to hear what you think.
@Evan: I think it’s more simpler than that.
A friend once told me a great answer to explain this ‘paradox’: it’s all about being content, grateful, and not wanting too much of what they don’t have that others have.
So it’s really about mindset, basically.
And yes you’re right, I think what you focus in life would largely determine your level of happiness.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my observations all this time, it’s that being richer/wealthier DOESN’T always mean you’re happier than those poorer people.
for example, I’ve seen how happy my factory workers seems to be, everytime I got off from my factory. after work, they would often play volleyball, laugh with their families, and friends, and co-workers (who live in a mesh in the factory too). Ironically, when I see them, I often think that probably it’s ME that’s being more stressful than them, because I seem to WANT MORE, as a result of often KNOW more of what wealthier people do (from Internet, knowing their lifestyle, the possibility, etc)!
little that I know that by doing this, I have ‘closed’ my eyes to the beauty of my surroundings, because I’m often in this “must have, must do this” mode, while those factory workers of mine are probably -like Bud correctly said here- being *IN THE PRESENT* moment, instead of thinking constantly about “must have what i want, must have this, must do this” mode.
I absolutely agree man. Happiness is found in your focus.
I like your point that there’s always something to be lucky about.
Luck is just opening your eyes.
Bud,
This post was exactly what I needed today. Between work, school, blogging and trying to find a real job, I get caught up in the future and I don’t appreciate whats going on around me right now.
I need to be happy for what I’m experiencing now. I need to be present.
Thanks
I’m glad I could help
I’ve been in Shanghai and I cannot understand that people actually fish in that river, it is so gross!
But that couple, I can totally imagine how they looked. The people that live on the street over there, are so poor.
I really love being in Shanghai, I was only a week over there, but I loved the place.
Thank you for posting this article. Just recently life has been up and down, as has my happiness. Sometimes we need to realise that our life is perfect just as it is!
That was a moving story Bud. I’m so glad you wrote it. What am I grateful for?
1) friends
2) health
3) this post with a great story about the fishing couple
4) the Internet
Awwww, that’s a beatiful story
When Glen left PluinID, I just automatically drifted away from following it…
Now I see I’ve made a mistake. I’m back on board and following. That’s some inspiring writing, Bud!
Thanks man. That means a hell of a lot to me. To be honest it’s been kind of tough with the transition.. but all I ask for is a chance. Glad you chose to stick around.
Spot on, very nice post. I have to constantly remind myself to be constant and present every time I drift into the past or future for unhealthy reasons – whether it be remembering a failure or dreaming of a success without actually make a step.
Reading posts like this just keeps me reminded to walk my path. Thanks
Though i do not always have trouble seeing the beauty in life, i got to a point where it was fully distracting me from staying in the present / now (and keeping up routines). I think i have in the past got too lost in the small things, that life, people can pass you bye. However i am grateful for my creative skills as a musician and an artist, as well mas the amazing ideas that go around in my head.
Keep playing music.
A quote that I found useful in those moments when the “someday syndrome” attacks: this is not a drill for your life, this is your life. In other words, the clock never stops, and, if you cannot be happy here-and-now, er… there is nowhere else to be.
Easier said than done, btw. Thank you for the inspiring post.