A man was new to fishing. He got his gear, went to the lake, and started waiting patiently. An old man, clearly a seasoned angler, approached him.
The old man smiled. “First time fishing, son?”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied. “But I’m very eager. I’m sure it’ll be a great day.”
“Is that so?” the old man said, squinting at the lake. “Well, let me give you a piece of advice. Fishing takes patience. Sometimes you have to wait for hours.”
Hours passed. The sun began to set. The man hadn’t caught a single fish. The old man came back to him.
“How’s it going, son?” he asked.
The man shrugged. “Nothing. I guess there are no fish in this lake.”
The old man chuckled. “There are fish, alright, but the important thing is to use the right strategy.”
“What should I do then?” the man asked. “Should I change my bait? Try another spot?”
The old man shook his head. “No, no. I have a method I’ve used for years. It never fails.”
The man grew excited. “Please tell me! What do you do?”
The old man whispered: “You sit by the lake and start talking to yourself. You say things like, ‘I’ll have some delicious salmon today. I wish I had some lemon. Maybe some french fries would go well with it.'”
The man looked at him in surprise. “What good does that do?”
The old man smiled. “No good at all, son. But at least, when you don’t catch any fish, the people around you will think you’re crazy, not that there are no fish!“