THE JOKE

A guy walks into a five-star French restaurant…

He sits down,  reads the menu, and orders a meal—but when his food arrives, he doesn’t even touch it. After awhile, the waiter comes over and says, “Monsieur, is there a problem with the food?”

And the guy says, “Yeah, it tastes terrible.”

The waiter looks at the guy, looks at his untouched plate of food, and says, “But, monsieur, you haven’t even tried a bite.”

“Don’t argue with me,” the guy says. “I know my own taste buds. But don’t worry—I’ll still pay.” So he pays the bill and walks out.

Then he goes down the street and walks into a Mexican restaurant that all his friends have been raving about.

Again, he sits down,  reads the menu, and orders a meal—but, again, when his food arrives, he doesn’t even touch it. So, after awhile, the waiter comes over and says, “Señor, is there a problem with the food?”

And the guy says, “Yeah, it’s not filling me up.”

The waiter looks at the guy, looks at the untouched food, and says, “But, señor, you haven’t even tried a bite.”

“Don’t argue with me,” the guy says. “I know my own stomach. But don’t worry—I’ll still pay.” So he pays the bill and walks out.

Then he goes down the street and into a health-food restaurant that got a great write-up in the local paper.

Again, he sits down,  reads the menu, and orders a meal—and, again, when his food arrives, he doesn’t even touch it. After awhile, the waiter comes over and says, “Excuse me, sir, is there a problem with the food?”

And the guy says, “Yeah, it’s not making me any healthier.”

The waiter looks at the guy, at his untouched food, and says, “But, sir, you haven’t even taken a bite.”

“Don’t argue with me,” the guy says. “I know my own body. But don’t worry—I’ll still pay.” So he pays the bill and as he’s walking out, he grumbles to himself, “I don’t get what all the hype’s about—these restaurants are all terrible. … And I’m still hungry!”

THE JOKE’S ON US!

OK, maybe it’s not the most hilarious thing you’ve ever heard, but I still think it’s good joke—and not just because I made it up—but because it’s a lot like the way many of us approach self-help.

Think about the guy at the restaurant—what did he do? He read about the food, he ordered it, and he even paid good money for it—but he didn’t do the one thing that would’ve filled him up and made him feel better. He didn’t pick up his fork and actually eat the food!

I know it’s a silly analogy, but I’ve actually done the same thing—and maybe you have too. Did you ever buy exercise equipment that you never used—but still felt disappointed when you didn’t get healthier? Or maybe you’ve read self-help books or watched a movie like The Secret that got you all excited about improving your life… but then you didn’t take the action that would’ve made a difference. Or maybe you weren’t like the guy at the restaurant, and you actually did take a few bites—but then you stopped before you got the full benefit.

Believe me, I have repeated this pattern many times, and I always end up just like the guy in the joke: he leaves the restaurant feeling empty—and even blames the restaurant… and then he goes off looking for something else.

But after years of acting like this, I finally realized that, yes, it is important to read and even to invest in yourself, but the one and only thing that will ultimately change your life is taking action—eating the food, or at least taking that first bite.

And that’s what I encourage you to do—whatever you’d like to bring into your life—take that first step, that first bite! Because that is when positive change truly begins.

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When has taking action helped you to make a positive change? Is there any area of your life where taking action could help you make a change you’ve been wanting? Please comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

(photo by chatirygirl)