Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week: Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week

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/