A young woman, overwhelmed by life's hardships and ready to give up, went to her mother for advice. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and brought them to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots; in the second, eggs; and in the last, ground coffee beans.
After about twenty minutes, she turned off the heat. She placed the carrots, eggs, and coffee into separate bowls and asked her daughter what she saw. "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied.
The mother asked her to feel the carrots. They had softened. She then asked her to break an egg. Its inside had hardened. Finally, she asked her to taste the coffee. The daughter smiled at its rich aroma.
Her mother explained: "Each faced the same adversity—boiling water—but reacted differently. The carrot, initially strong, became soft and weak. The fragile egg, with a liquid interior, became hardened inside. But the coffee beans were unique: they changed the water itself."
"Which are you?" the mother asked. "When adversity knocks, how do you respond? Do you wilt like the carrot, harden like the egg, or transform your circumstances like the coffee bean? The coffee bean releases its fragrance and flavor when the water is hottest. In your darkest hours, do you elevate yourself and change the situation around you?"