Monday 27 June 2011

Bacon and eggs - difference between committed and involved

The pig and hen were good friends in a farm.

One lazy sunny afternoon, while shooting the breeze together under the shade of the old oak tree just outside the barn, the hen had an inspiration!

“Hey pig! Would you be interested to be a millionaire?” said the hen, fluttering her eye-lashes in a most alluring manner.

“What? What do you mean?” The pig awoken from his stupor…

“Wake up! Wake up! Pay attention!” the hen nudging the pig as she spoke. “If we work together, we can be millionaires!”

“How?” said the pig with a smile. The pig always had a soft spot for the hen.

“There’s a new casino opened just outside of town. We just have to place a million dollar bet on the roulette table – black or red.”

“But we don’t have a million dollars,” said the pig scratching his head. But he is hooked. The pig has always envied how some of other pigs managed to have all the money in the world; and they are always in the company of the most beautiful hens and chicks of the farm. Yes, the pig wants to be rich like them!

The hen snuggled up to the pig and gently tapped her feathered wing on the pig’s head. “Silly! We just need to borrow it from the bull from the farm across the street. I borrow; and you act as my guarantor.”   

“But what if we lose the bet?” quizzed the pig.

“We won’t!” said the hen confidently. I’ve been to this get rich quick seminar and I have the magic formula!” All we need to do is to wait for 10 straight outcome of reds, and we place all our money on the next 11th turn on black!” The hen was quite excited and was clapping her wings as she spoke. “What are the odds of red appearing again after 10 consecutive turns?”

The next day, both the pig and hen visited the bull from across the farm. The bull was the notorious money lender of the area. In his youth, he went overseas to Spain and has gorged to death quite a few bull fighters there. Now retired from bull fighting, the bull has diverted his attention to the lucrative business of “private finance”.

“I can lend you the money,” said the bull sucking and blowing his cigar. “But what collateral do you wish to pledge?” The bull was checking the hen out from claw to beak… The hen cuts a pretty face you can say!

“Well, we can pledge ourselves. If we don’t pay up, you can do with us whatever you want.” The hen put one wing behind her head and the other on her hips.

All this while, the pig just stood there frozen with fear of the size and overpowering presence of the bull, and did not pay attention to what the hen had pledged on his behalf. Blinded by lust and greed, and now fear!

I guessed you all knew the outcome of the story. The pig and hen lost their bet at the casino and was rounded up by the bull.

The bull made the hen his mistress; and the hen had to surrender all her eggs to the bull as payment. As for the poor pig, the bull sold him to the local diner together with the eggs from the hen.

There you have it - bacon and eggs!


Can you see the difference between being committed and involved?

The pig is committed, while the hen is involved.



Do you see parallels between the above story and you?

1)     Your relationship?  

2)     Your business partner?

3)     Your work place?

4)     Your investing/trading journey?



18 comments:

  1. Hi SMOL,

    Committed means the party who is the de factor leader? Involved means you're the person who follows the direction of the leader?

    Haha, not sure if I get your story right :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Mew Ge,

    I share 2 examples to clarify:

    1) Two persons invest with $100,000 in the same stock at the same price that goes down. To one, $100,000 is his whole life's savings, while for the other, $100,000 is just a small part of his net worth.

    Committed - if don't cut loss can go bonkers! Involved - can slowly average down and be philosophical about it.

    2) Two persons were in love but now separated. One loves the person with all his life. The other just stays together until a better mate comes along.

    Committed - separate hurt like hell. Involved - we can still be friends.

    ---------------------

    Ths story is to illustrate the importance of knowing how much "skin is in the game" when we partner with others, or attempt to copy from others.

    The pig is committed as the price he paid is bacon (himself). The hen is involved since the price she paid is her eggs. Same same but different!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Walau.... You must be a great story teller in your previous life! :)

    I can see no fault in your analogy... and it was damn interesting. Can even rivaled Hans Christian Andersen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Btw, is the hen as pretty as the one in my profile :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Wealth Journey,

    Thanks! When younger, I can tell stories with "dragons and phoenixes" (say in hokkien for effect) to impress the chicks. Now I just rely on my good looks (finger to mouth) - LOL!

    Hey! You are getting me confused and intrigued... Not sure can flirt with you or not!?

    If you look like your profile, on! Rich and "jude"! Who don't want!?

    Hmm. Must ask AK whether you "cock-ca-do" or "cock-cock-gei".

    LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi SMOL,

    Okok! I got it already :)

    WJ's pic is fake one, don't believe his profile pic, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  7. hahaha, what a mess!

    as far as trading goes, there is only commitment. and i have to cut losses so often so not to becomes the bacon, its the number 1 rule in trading.

    it may apply to work, business and investment but not life partner. my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  8. basket! even i am confused.

    i mean you may involved in work, business and investment but not my wife haha. marriage is a commitment.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your investing/trading journey? How?

    Firstly, you get "involved" by getting your hands dirty and may be even bloody; and lastly you stay "committed" to your investing goals.

    ReplyDelete
  10. i think cw88888 is correct, investment has to be committed also. i put as involved cos i'm not a good investor.

    somehow i have to choose between trading and investing. if you trade you are not investing, and if committed to investing, you don't want to trade and mess up your investment.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1) Thanks Mew Ge!

    2) Wealth Journey, naughty naughty!

    3) Createwealth8888 and Coconut, you two are the best! I personally would prefer to be "involved" in investment ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi SMOL ,

    I like your story telling prowess...wah your hokkien must be really proficient...
    Good Story and even better examples...
    Men usually involved with money and women but committed to family and religion.
    As for me, I am committed to property investments but involved with stocks

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello financialray,

    Kum sia! (I am still learning how to write in Hokkien english)

    I grew up in the 70s at a time in Singapore when we need to know Hokkien and English to "survive".

    NS without Hokkien will miss a lot of fun!

    Cheers from a Teochew lao hero!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi SMOL,
    No one is more confused then Confucious, ha! ha! i am also confused now.i use BEAR/BULL cycle investment strategy for years. But now i am not sure whether i am involved or committed in the stock markets. i think i have to be more serious - no more Bear/Bull cycle investment.
    Not only you are really blessed with the "gift of the gap" but also "ONG TOH" may be once your "disciple". And most important you can put serious matter in a "laughing way". Ha! Ha! No joke!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Welcome back Temperament! I missed you! (Opps! Can man and man talk like that? LOL!)

    I prefer not to be too clear or awake, confuse even better! 醉生梦死.

    Make money, lose money, just as long we "hua hee do ho"!

    ReplyDelete
  16. "a word, no, a story wakes up a sleeping man"

    nice work SMOL.

    ReplyDelete
  17. sounds like a Malaysian young multi millionaire that club with a rich hotelier daugther. Just get involved and let the bigger guns get committed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rolf,

      Ah! The power of a marriage alliance!

      Living in sin is involved.

      Marriage is committed.

      Beyonce is smart; if you want it put a ring on it!

      LOL!

      Delete

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