A wonderful metaphor:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Soon the pots came to boil. In the first
she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she
placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. She pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled out the coffee and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The
mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After
pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter
to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its richness and
savored its aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity — boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and
unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it
softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin
outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through
the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a
death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I
become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst; you become even better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of things that come their way.
Have an awesome day and know that someone is thinking about you! Please feel free to reach out to me if you need any help in building your business. My direct number is 612-562-8219. See you tomorrow, I believe in you!
Yesterday
we shared a story with our staff titled “Are You A Carrot, Egg or
Coffee Bean”. It is a story about perspective, adversity and how you
view the things that are happening in your life.
In a business that requires you to understand that there are two
sides to every coin, that everyone has their story to tell, that your
perception is your reality, I found it an appropriate topic. So many
times we get caught up in our own dilemmas and drama that we forget that
many of our own truths that we subscribe to are based on our point of
view; our perspective. In an attempt to broaden their own view of
things and as a reminder to myself, I decided to read it aloud.
The story goes like this:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.
It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with
water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs,
and the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty
minute she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and
placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a
bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her daughter,
she asked, “Tell me what you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and
break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled
egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as
she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity… boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot
went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected
to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been
fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But,
after being through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked the daughter. “When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee
bean?”
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a break up, a
financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot
water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets
hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean,
when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Our staff resonated with this and to their credit were able to share
their own ideas and thoughts with the group. It gave the newcomers a
closer look into our company culture and allowed the veterans to teach
and share. It was truly an eye opener for me to see them do that
without any prompting and made me glad to have shared this story again.
This is one of the reasons why I truly enjoy working in the business
and these kids pleasantly surprise me every day. Things are never as
bad as they seem and they're never as great either. Maintaining our
perspective on things helps us overcome adversity even if we struggle.
“When it rains it pours. Maybe the art of life is to convert tough
times to great experiences: we can choose to hate the rain or dance in
it.” ― Joan Marques
We choose to dance in the rain; or in this case, drink the coffee.
- See more at: http://www.alanwongs.com/blog/are-you-carrot-egg-or-coffee-bean#sthash.q432hCJl.dpuf
Yesterday
we shared a story with our staff titled “Are You A Carrot, Egg or
Coffee Bean”. It is a story about perspective, adversity and how you
view the things that are happening in your life.
In a business that requires you to understand that there are two
sides to every coin, that everyone has their story to tell, that your
perception is your reality, I found it an appropriate topic. So many
times we get caught up in our own dilemmas and drama that we forget that
many of our own truths that we subscribe to are based on our point of
view; our perspective. In an attempt to broaden their own view of
things and as a reminder to myself, I decided to read it aloud.
The story goes like this:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.
It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with
water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs,
and the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty
minute she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and
placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a
bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her daughter,
she asked, “Tell me what you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and
break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled
egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as
she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity… boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot
went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected
to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been
fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But,
after being through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked the daughter. “When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee
bean?”
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a break up, a
financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot
water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets
hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean,
when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Our staff resonated with this and to their credit were able to share
their own ideas and thoughts with the group. It gave the newcomers a
closer look into our company culture and allowed the veterans to teach
and share. It was truly an eye opener for me to see them do that
without any prompting and made me glad to have shared this story again.
This is one of the reasons why I truly enjoy working in the business
and these kids pleasantly surprise me every day. Things are never as
bad as they seem and they're never as great either. Maintaining our
perspective on things helps us overcome adversity even if we struggle.
“When it rains it pours. Maybe the art of life is to convert tough
times to great experiences: we can choose to hate the rain or dance in
it.” ― Joan Marques
We choose to dance in the rain; or in this case, drink the coffee.
- See more at: http://www.alanwongs.com/blog/are-you-carrot-egg-or-coffee-bean#sthash.q432hCJl.dpuf
Yesterday
we shared a story with our staff titled “Are You A Carrot, Egg or
Coffee Bean”. It is a story about perspective, adversity and how you
view the things that are happening in your life.
In a business that requires you to understand that there are two
sides to every coin, that everyone has their story to tell, that your
perception is your reality, I found it an appropriate topic. So many
times we get caught up in our own dilemmas and drama that we forget that
many of our own truths that we subscribe to are based on our point of
view; our perspective. In an attempt to broaden their own view of
things and as a reminder to myself, I decided to read it aloud.
The story goes like this:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.
It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with
water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs,
and the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty
minute she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and
placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a
bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her daughter,
she asked, “Tell me what you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and
break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled
egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as
she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity… boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot
went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected
to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been
fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But,
after being through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked the daughter. “When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee
bean?”
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a break up, a
financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot
water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets
hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean,
when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Our staff resonated with this and to their credit were able to share
their own ideas and thoughts with the group. It gave the newcomers a
closer look into our company culture and allowed the veterans to teach
and share. It was truly an eye opener for me to see them do that
without any prompting and made me glad to have shared this story again.
This is one of the reasons why I truly enjoy working in the business
and these kids pleasantly surprise me every day. Things are never as
bad as they seem and they're never as great either. Maintaining our
perspective on things helps us overcome adversity even if we struggle.
“When it rains it pours. Maybe the art of life is to convert tough
times to great experiences: we can choose to hate the rain or dance in
it.” ― Joan Marques
We choose to dance in the rain; or in this case, drink the coffee.
- See more at: http://www.alanwongs.com/blog/are-you-carrot-egg-or-coffee-bean#sthash.q432hCJl.dpuf
