If we fail to adapt, we fail to move
forward. – John Wooden
Out of adversity comes opportunity. –
Benjamin Franklin
Is the reader a
potato, egg or coffee bean?
In the last few
days, the author heard the below story and learned how important it is to be
adaptable in how we handle adversity in life:
One day the daughter of a chef came
home and was in distressful state. She looked confused. She said she did not
know what to do, she went home to her dad.
She related with her dad how life
was so cruel for her. She said she seemed keep solving problems only to face
another one. It was happening like this for far too long. She was in the brink
of giving up on life.
Her father, calm and sympathetic,
was all ears listening to her dear daughter’s plight. He took her to his
kitchen and prepared something to cook. They were potato, egg and coffee beans.
He first filled three pots with water and placed each one was put on a burner.
After a few minutes all pots started to boil.
He took the potato, egg and coffee
beans into each pot. All this time her father was on his usual way, loving, all
ears, only his eyes and body language told her how happy he was to see her and
how sympathetic he was on what she was going through. The daughter continued
telling her sad story.
After sometime, her father turned
off the fire on the burners then the father placed the three pots on the marble
table.
He scooped out the egg and potato
and placed them on a plate. And the last pot he had poured the once just water,
now became boiling coffee.
Then her father finally spoke to her
softly as his demeanor always was. He spoke: My dear child tell me what do you
see?
She said, quite a bit wondering, Dad
I see potato, egg and a cup of coffee. Now can I eat and drink?
Surely, but for a while, look at
them. What happened to the three of them?
She touched the potato and said, I
see and feel the potato is soft, I think it is cooked already.
OK my child, what about the egg,
could you peel off the egg shells please.
She obliged and said, the egg has
become solid and hard, well done. I like it that way.
Very good. Glad to hear about that,
her father said. What about the cup of coffee?
It has a glorious aroma. It makes me
like to really drink it. Why are you asking all these, dad?
Her dad finally spoke:
This is the story of resilience and
fortitude. The potatoes, eggs and coffee beans had undergone exactly the same
boiling water – the same ordeals and challenges.
The egg has shells, brittle and
fragile protecting the liquid white and orange yolk. However, as you can see,
after it went through the boiling water, the egg became firm and hard.
The potato was sturdy, and hard but
after it went through the boiling water, the potato became soft.
But the coffee beans is different,
after it went through the boiling water, it changed the boiling water into
totally different thing. It became coffee!
Now my daughter, here is my point.
We all went through adversity of life and we all can be like potato, egg and
coffee. Which one are you?
Are you a potato, that is, after
undergoing adversity, became soft or an egg, once fragile has changed into
being hard. Or coffee the one which changed the adversity to its advantage and
make the challenge turned itself into something amazing. Coffee with glorious aroma, and taste.
My dear daughter, said the chef, in
life we are faced with many similar adversities but as always it could make us
or break us. What matter is what is inside you. May your heart become stronger
not weaker and braver not more fearful. (https://www.twosouthernsweeties.com/potato-egg-coffee-bean-one/)
In each
situation we encounter, we are in control of how we handle the situation. The author used this story recently in her
own life. She traveled somewhere with a
group and made the decision when she decided to go on the trip to be adaptable
and flexible with the group. By making
this decision before going, she had a wonderful time.
ACTION: With today being November 1, 2022,
the holidays are fast approaching. What
decisions can you make today to be adaptable and resilient as you finish strong
in 2022 and the holidays?
RESOURCES
·
https://www.twosouthernsweeties.com/potato-egg-coffee-bean-one/
·
https://online.visual-paradigm.com/knowledge/root-cause-analysis/root-cause-analysis-5-whys-technique/
·
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_5W.htm
·
https://www.wisefamousquotes.com/quotes-about-5-whys/#:~:text=5%20Whys%20Quotes%20As%20long%20as%20you%20remember,big%20knot%20of%20whys.%20%E2%80%94%20David%20Mitchell%20
·
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-in-high-achievers/202209/how-talk-yourself
·
How to Go Faster – Darren Hardy - https://dd.darrenhardy.com/how-to-go-faster?_hsmi=223509798&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9i3AphqaQEV8kWZ_eZsBMvMQRpTAhnuPUiBTtK2k4Po0pidhUy8GETfd8AuB8QvzuqUT6B2sUCUARtOfDkN3KHvFU1EQ
·
Carl Lewis: The Master Finisher -
Faster, Higher, Stronger - BBC Two –
·
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhKI7sH0O20
·
https://openviewpartners.com/blog/the-goal-of-conducting-quarterly-reviews/
·
https://es.player.fm/series/darrendaily-on-demand/how-to-go-faster-a-surprise-twist
·
https://succeedfeed.com/darren-hardy-quotes/
·
http://brfitclub.com/6-steps-to-relax-and-go-faster#:~:text=6%20steps%20to%20relax%20and%20go%20faster%20%E2%80%93,movements%20and%20progress%20in%20complexity.%20...%20More%20items
·
https://www.ramseysolutions.com/personal-growth/the-core-of-confidence
