THERE'S an old story about a carrot, an egg and a cup of coffee beans which resurfaced recently. I don't know who the author is, but the story is so powerful and it goes something like this:
A young woman went home to visit her mother and shared a story about her life and how things were so hard for her. She said she was tired, upset, and annoyed with these things and that she often found herself wanting to run away or give up.
Her mother listened empathetically before proceeding to take her daughter to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and boiled the water. Then she put a carrot in the first pot, an egg in the second, and coffee beans in the third pot. After 20 minutes or so, she turned off the fire and put all three items in separate bowls, which she then placed on the dining table.
"What do you see?" she asked her daughter.
Intrigued, the daughter replied: "A carrot, an egg, and coffee."
The mother told her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft and mushy. The mother then asked her to crack and peel the egg. She did and noticed that the inside had become hard. Finally, the mother asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter did, and smiled at the rich taste of the coffee.
The daughter asked: "What's the point of all of this, mum?"
The mother explained: "Each of these three objects faced the same adversity: boiling water. But each reacted differently. The carrot started out hard and strong, but came out weak and mushy. The egg started with a soft inside with a tough shell, but came out hard on the inside. The coffee beans were special: They changed the water. They used the hardship to elevate themselves and accomplish greatness."
The daughter's eyes lit up as she began to comprehend the analogy.
The mother then asked her: "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
WHAT ARE YOU?
Now, that's a great question to ask ourselves too. Imagine the hot boiling water as the calamity that befalls us. Are we going to be like the carrot, going in hard and strong only to come out soft and weak? Or are we the egg, soft before the misfortune and becoming hardened by the turmoil? In both cases, we've allowed the situation to define who we've become.
The best thing to be is the coffee beans. Instead of changing and damaging itself, it changed the hot water into something loved by others — a nice cup of coffee. Instead of bemoaning the misfortune, it turned the situation around and benefitted others instead.
Let's commit ourselves to view hardships and adversities in a different light. Instead of complaining, choose to turn the situation around by keeping a positive mindset at all time. There doesn't have to be a big intervention to change the world. Start with our beloved family. If everyone's doing the same, we'll be changing the world — one person at a time!
Zaid Mohamad coaches and trains others to bring out their best while enjoying a peaceful, purposeful life. Reach him at coach@zaidmohamad.com.