When Adversity Knocks

Not long ago I issued a certificate to a trainee life coach who had used up all but one week of the 24 months available to her to complete our course.

\”At least she made it,\” I thought, speculating that she was one of many of us who specialise in leaving important things to the very last minute.

But a few weeks later when her course feedback came in, I found myself riveted by her story of a life that took some quite amazing twists and turns shortly after she first registered with us.

After reading her account of being struck by adversity on multiple occasions and how this had just served to reinforce her determination to become a great life coach I was left bursting with admiration.

[box type=\”shadow\”]“All the adversity I\’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realise it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

– Walt Disney[/box]

Life, as we all know, can be unpredictable. Things happen around us and to us all the time. But the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

For me the following short story sums this up beautifully:

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable. It felt like she was beset by one problem after another. She had grown tired of fighting and struggling all the time. “Stop the world, I want to get off” she remonstrated.

Her father, a chef, beckoned for her to follow him to the kitchen. There he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the water in the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third.

He then let the pots sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter groaned and waited impatiently, wondering what on earth he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He scooped the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and poured it into a mug.

Turning to his daughter he asked. “My darling child, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she replied with a touch of sarcasm.

“Now I want you to mash the potatoes, peel the eggs and smell the coffee,”

As much to humour him as anything else, she did as he requested.

She had to admit, the potatoes were soft and fluffy and the eggs were well and truly hard boiled. The coffee had taken on a gorgeous rich aroma. She couldn’t help take a sip and that  brought a smile to her face.

“Dad, what is this all about?” she asked.

Her father explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each had to face the same adversity in the form of the boiling water. However, each had reacted differently.

“The potato started off strong, hard, and unrelenting but in boiling water, it soon became soft and weak.\”

\”The egg started out as fragile, with a thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior. Once exposed to the boiling water the inside became hard.\”

\”The ground coffee beans, on the other hand, are unique. Once placed in the boiling water, they converted the water into a deliciously fragrant and tasty drink.”

He smiled and looked at his daughter. “Now, which are you,” he asked.

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?