One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his
fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out
into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the
afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach,
trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed
the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why
this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a
living for himself and his family. "You aren't going to catch many
fish that way," said the businessman to the fisherman. "You
should be working rather than lying on the beach!"

The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and
replied, "And what will my reward be?" "Well, you can get bigger
nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer. "And
then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.
The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be
able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of
fish!" "And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman
again. The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated
with the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and
hire some people to work for you!" he said.

"And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman. The
businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You
can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and
let all your employees catch fish for you!" Once again the
fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?" The
businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman,
"Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will
never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the
rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset.
You won't have a care in the world!"

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do
you think I'm doing right now?"

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