Once a
daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and full of problems.
She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one
problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a Chef, took her to
the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the
second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
After
twenty minutes he turned off the burners and put the potatoes and eggs in
separate bowls and poured the coffee in a cup. Turning to her he asked
“Daughter, what do you see?” “Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.
“Look
closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noticed that they were
soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell,
she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its
rich aroma brought a smile to her face. “Father, what does this mean?” she
asked.
He
then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had
each faced the same adversity – the boiling water. However, each one reacted
differently to the situation.
The
potato went in strong, hard but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The
egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until
it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were
exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water itself and created a new
liquid. “Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
Attitude to face the problem matters. You can either let the
problem change you completely or you can change the problematic situation into
a favorable opportunity!
Have a fun
filled week ahead!
