Life Is Like A Cafeteria

I just remembered about a story when I was at a buffet tonight. This story is not mine. My dad found it and sent it to me. It was written in Chinese and I translated it to English for you. =) Excuse me if somethings sound funny. xD

An elderly man from Eastern Europe came to the States, and wanted dine in a Manhattan restaurant. He sits down at an empty table waiting for someone to wait on him to order. No one comes. He waits for a long time; until he saw a woman carrying a plateful of food sitting down across from him.

He asks the woman why was there no one waiting on him. She answers him telling that it was a self-serve cafeteria. "You start at one end, and choose the dishes you like, and proceed to the other end. At that other end, there is a cashier; they will tell you how much you need to pay."

The old man says he since then understands the rule of how America works. "Here, life is like a self serving cafeteria. As long as you are willing to pay for it, you can have whatever you want; you can succeed. However, if you just wait for someone to hand it to you, you will never succeed. You have to get up and get it yourself."

Life is like a self serving cafeteria, well said!

Self serve. It means you have to count on yourself, take action, and look for opportunities. Of course, success needs opportunities, but lady luck does not favor the people who sit back and wait.

In life, we often see this situation. Two identical students graduate university. A few years later, their worlds are vastly different. We also often see a lot of success and failures. Some people who are full of talent, are not able to be successful. There are others who mettle, and are able to do something skillfully.

Talent is important, but talent does not result in success. Success requires action, striving and construction.

Vicissitudes of things, people have changed. (Google translate, I really cant do any better at translating)

[Google Translate: Vicissitudes: A variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something] (If you think that I know the word "vicissitude" you think too much of me lmao!)

"Gold will always shine" "Wine aromas are always pleasant" This idea is undergoing change. In this competitive world, "It's the strong who survives" is not only a law of nature, but also among humans.

How do we find a place on this Earth? The elderly man says it well: "Life is like a self serving cafeteria. As long as you are will to pay, you can have anything you want."

Everything is up for grabs, only if you have to ability to take it.

How are you able to afford the things you want?

You can only succeed however, "if you just wait there for someone to hand it to you, you will never succeed. You have to get up and get it yourself."