E08: The goose and the Golden egg: Have, Need & Want

Today, I want to talk about The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg. A simple story, but one that speaks volumes.

A couple had everything they needed—a goose that laid a golden egg every day. But impatience got the best of them. 

This isn’t just a story about greed. It’s about appreciation, patience, and knowing when to let things grow instead of rushing and losing it all.

Transcript

Podcast Episode: "The Goose and the Golden Egg" 

Hello and welcome. My name is Alvat Garewal and Today, I want to talk about a story most of us have heard—the story of The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg. It’s a simple tale, but its message? It’s timeless. 

The Story and Its Lesson 

A couple owns a goose that lays one golden egg a day. This egg provides them with just enough to live comfortably. Life is good. But over time, they grow impatient. They want more. They start wondering—Why wait for an egg every day? What if we just cut the goose open and take all the eggs at once? 

So, they do. But when they open the goose? They find... nothing. And not only that—they’ve lost the very thing that was providing for them in the first place. 

That’s when reality hits them. Their greed cost them everything.
Now, let’s pause for a second. What if they had waited?
 What if, over time, the goose had started laying two eggs a day instead of one? 

Or what if the goose had laid ten normal eggs, and those eggs hatched? Over time, those chicks could have grown into geese of their own, each laying golden eggs, multiplying their wealth beyond anything they could have imagined. 

Instead of focusing on long-term growth, they got caught up in short-term greed. And in the end, they lost everything. 

This brings us to a deeper question: Do we truly appreciate what we have, or are we always chasing more? 

What We Have, What We Need, and What We Want 

This story, to me, isn’t just about greed. It’s about understanding the difference between what we have, what we need, and what we want. 

Most of the time, what we have is already enough to cover what we need. But our wants? That’s where things start to get tricky. 

When we focus too much on what we want, we start losing appreciation for what we already have. 

• ●  We want a bigger house, but the one we have keeps us warm and safe. 
• ●  We want the latest phone, but the one in our pocket still does everything we need. 
• ●  We want more money, but we’re already covering our essentials. 

Ambition isn’t bad. Growth isn’t bad. But when the chase for more makes us blind to what’s already there? That’s when we risk losing everything—just like the couple who lost their golden goose. 

Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You
This brings us to another important lesson: Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

The couple had a steady source of wealth, but their impatience led them to destroy it. How often do we see this in real life? Maybe it’s a job that provides for us, but we take it for granted and leave hastily, only to regret it. Maybe it’s a relationship where we don’t appreciate the support until it’s gone. 

Just like the couple lost their golden goose, we can lose valuable things in our lives if we fail to recognize their worth. 

Enjoy the Coffee
This idea of appreciation extends beyond wealth—it applies to how we experience life. Think about a cup of coffee.
You sit down, take a sip. It’s rich, smooth, comforting. 

But instead of enjoying it, you start analyzing—What’s in this coffee? What kind of beans? How much sugar? How was it brewed? And suddenly, instead of just enjoying the coffee, you’re dissecting it, breaking it down, focusing on the process instead of the experience. 

The same thing happens with food.
 You go to a restaurant, take a bite of a delicious meal—but instead of savoring it, you start 

wondering What spices did they use? How did they cook it?
Sometimes, we do this with life. We overanalyze. We forget to just experience the moment. 

You don’t need to know every ingredient to enjoy the coffee. You don’t need to understand every step of the recipe to love the meal. You don’t need to own everything to appreciate what you already have. 

Living in the Moment 

So, what if we tried something different?
 Instead of always chasing more, what if we took a second to appreciate what’s in front of 

us?
Instead of breaking things down, what if we just... lived them? 

Because sometimes, the secret to happiness isn’t in getting more— It’s in appreciating what we already have. 

Final Thoughts 

Let’s go back to the golden goose.
 The couple had everything they needed. A steady, reliable source of wealth. But impatience 

and greed led them to destroy the very thing that was sustaining them. 

Had they waited, they might have found themselves in a much better place. 

Maybe the goose would have started laying two eggs a day. Maybe it would have laid ten eggs that hatched into even more golden-egg-laying geese. Their fortune could have grown naturally over time—but they were too focused on getting rich quickly. 

And that’s something we all need to think about. 

Are we grateful for what we have, or are we constantly chasing more? 

Are we patient enough to let things grow, or are we rushing and risking losing it all? 

Are we enjoying the moment, or are we too busy analyzing everything? 

So next time you feel that urge to rush—whether it’s with money, success, or even something as small as a cup of coffee—take a deep breath. 

Enjoy what you have. Be patient. Because sometimes, the best things in life take time. 

Thank you for tuning in today. If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who might need to hear it too. 

Until next time.
 You are in my thoughts.