Mr. Rich

As if he were some ninja, Mr. Rich creeped up behind his nephew. “Boo!” he shook the boy. “Scared the life out of ya, huh? Thought you were robbed for a second.”

The lad, however, showed little to no emotion.

“What’s your deal?” Mr. Rich asked.

Dejected, the boy replied, “Man, I’m so broke right now that if somebody tried to rob me they’d just be practicing!”

Mr. Rich—holding back the laugher—told his nephew to take a quick stroll with him.

Seconds later, Mr. Rich pulled up an image from Google of a golden goose laying golden eggs.

“Now,” said Mr. Rich, “if you had a choice of which to buy—the goose or the golden eggs—which would you choose?”

Without blinking the boy said, “Of course I’d take the golden eggs. I mean, with those eggs, I could sell them off and buy tons of stuff right now!”

Mr. Rich shook his head. “Nephew, but don’tcha see?”

“See what?”

“By taking the golden eggs up front, you’re taking a dime up front instead of a dollar in the end!”

Puzzled, the boy’s blank stare suggested he didn’t catch the metaphor.

Mr. Rich wrapped a comforting arm around the lad. “What I mean is, by investing in the golden goose, in the long run you’ll pave the way for it to lay countless golden eggs.”

“But where do I find this golden goose?”

Mr. Rich held up a mirror to the boy’s face. “That funny looking fella you see in this mirror . . . that’s your golden goose! And until you start investing all your time and energy into it, you’ll never get the golden eggs!”