Carrot, Egg or Coffee Bean

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.  She didn't know how she was going to make it and how she wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed that as one problem was resolved, a new one arose.  Her mother took her to the kitchen.  She filled three pots with water.  In the first, she dropped a handful of carrots, in the second she a few 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 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 out and placed it in a bowl.  Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied.  The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.  The daughter did and noted that they got soft.  Mother then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, daughter observed the hard-boiled egg.  Finally, Mother 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…the 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 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 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?

So, which are you…a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Some people make the future; most wait for the future to make them.

And that's worth thinking about…

Get Moving, Even When Others Fall Behind

It’s often far easier to rest where you are than to push yourself to the next level.  But complacency leads to mediocrity…which almost always leads to disaster.  So, if this is true, how can you keep yourself responsive, resourceful, and recharged in this competitive business environment?

There are seven tactics that when implemented and sustained, will make a difference:

1.            Practice self-discipline versus self-indulgence.  Self-indulgence is thinking about how you feel at a given moment, then deciding what action, if any, to take and worrying about the consequences later.  Self-discipline is thinking first about the consequences, then taking appropriate action, and feeling great about your decision.

See it this way:

§  self-discipline = think consequences 

§  take action 

§  feel great 

§  self-indulgence = think feelings 

§  take action 

§  suffer consequences

2.            Remember the difference you make in people’s lives.  The real measure of your success is the difference that you’re making in the lives of others.  By positioning and promoting yourself as someone who can make a difference, you will reach more people.

3.            Avoid negative self-talk.  Resist the temptation to tell yourself all the things you’re doing wrong and all the things you need to improve on.  Remember Willie Nelson’s great tune, “Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, and Don’t Mess with Mr. In Between.”

4.            Listen to one motivational or inspirational message each week.  Without recharging yourself, it’s impossible to charge others.  Whether this message comes from a religious affiliation or simply from motivational tapes or messages, (like Excellence magazine) it is vital to realize that by renewing yourself, only then can you renew others.

5.            Read books by and for successful people.  It is said that the average sales person reads only one book each year.  That’s why they’re average.  The importance of reading is that it not only develops your logic and understanding, but it also develops your verbal skills and gives you exposure to new ideas that you can use to build your business and your relationships.

6.            Focus on your long-term vision versus the short-term circumstances. Take the time to review your goals weekly so that you’re focused on the long-term.  Remember, if you’re focused on creating the future, you won’t spend time mourning the past.

7.            Manage yourself wisely.  Recharge and renew yourself and then put in enough effort to get where you want to be, not just enough to justify where you are now.