The Man Who Lost His Fortune Before He Ever Had It

The Man Who Lost His Fortune Before He Ever Had It

Juha was walking down the road carrying a jar of milk, but he was no longer paying attention to the road ahead.

He was seeing something much bigger:

an entire fortune.

He thought to himself:

“I’ll sell this milk and use the money to buy chickens. The chickens will multiply, so I’ll sell some of them and buy a sheep. Then I’ll sell the sheep and buy a cow… and eventually my wealth will grow until I become a rich man.”

The farther he walked, the larger his fortune became in his imagination.

Then he began imagining what he would do once he became wealthy.

He sat down to rest, placed the jar on his head, and continued building his plans in his mind.

He thought:

“When I finally get what I want, I won’t let anyone ruin my life!”

Then he moved his head excitedly...

The jar fell and shattered.

The milk spilled onto the ground.

And in a single moment, the chickens, the sheep, the cow, and the great fortune he had built in his imagination all disappeared.

He didn’t lose his money...

because he never had it in the first place.

And that is where the real lesson lies.

Sometimes we don’t lose what we own. We lose our time and focus while living inside things that haven’t happened yet.

The Lesson

Don’t spend imaginary profits before you’ve earned them.

Dream. Plan. Be ambitious.

But remember:

One real step forward is worth more than a thousand dreams inside your head.