Potatoes, Eggs and Coffee

(This story has been told different ways but the message is still the same. It’s told much better through an example than I could do it.  Why mess with a good thing? Enjoy the wisdom in this simple story)

Once upon a time, a young woman was having breakfast with her father. As they ate, she complained, "Dad, my life is miserable! I don't know how I'm going to make it in life, and I'm tired of fighting and struggling all the time. Every time I feel like I've moved past one problem, another one comes along. I don't think I can take this much longer."

Her father, a retired chef, took her hand and led her to the kitchen. He then filled three pots with water, and placed each of them on a high fire. When the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in the first pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. Without saying a word, he stood there and let the contents of the three pots boil. The young woman waited impatiently, wondering what he was doing. "Maybe he is still hungry, and is cooking some more breakfast." she said to herself.

Finally, after half an hour of boiling, he turned the burners off. He first took out the potatoes from the first pot and placed them in a clean bowl. Then, he took the eggs out of the second pot and placed them in another bowl. Finally, he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.  He laid these three items on the counter top and asked his daughter, "What do you see?"

"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee." she replied.

"Look closer," he said, “and touch the potatoes." She touched them and noticed that they were very soft. "Now take an egg and break it." he continued. She cracked the egg open and saw that the egg was hard-boiled all the way through. Finally, he said "Take a sip of this coffee." The rich aroma of the freshly brewed coffee brought a smile to her face.

"Dear, the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans all faced the same heat of the boiling water. However, each of the three reacted differently." he explained. "The potatoes went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but the boiling water made them soft and weak. The egg protected its fragile liquid interior with a thin hard shell, but the boiling water made the egg hard on the inside. Notice what happened when the coffee beans were placed in the boiling water – they changed the water into something aromatic and delicious.

"Which one are you?" he challenged his daughter, "When you go through the fire and heat in life, are you a potato, egg or coffee bean?"

Can I Get a Do Over?

Sure you can. You do it all the time.  It’s what you do with what you learned that counts.

Call me optimistic but I definitely like the, “Do Over” method of success.  A “Do Over” is when you get another chance to do what you initially attempted but this time you get a chance to do it correctly.

History is riddled with people who have had “Do Over’s”.  They didn’t succeed in their first, second or maybe even their third attempt but that didn’t stop them.  Each setback was an opportunity to evaluate what went wrong, make adjustments and then attempt it again.

What I like most about “Do Over’s” is that there is no such thing as failure.  It’s as if you’re getting a free pass-go to the school and collect more knowledge- now go back and try it again.    With each setback you’re able to evaluate and refocus your energy on the achieving the task at hand.

It is only when you give up on the “Do Over” that you have truly failed for succumbing to failure drains the life blood of creativity that runs through your veins.  You must create and be better than your former self.  You must move forward by creating and it’s only through the “Do over process” that you continue to learn a new and better way to achieve your desires.

Therefore my friend, there is no such thing as failure as long as you continue to believe in “Do Over’s”.  

What is Your Truth?

Engaging in behavior that you feel guilty or ashamed about erodes your self-esteem and self-confidence. Conversely, you can feel good about yourself by only doing that which you feel is right. Of course this is base on your own moral compass and no one else’s.

What is right and real of you?  You see, following your truth always makes you feel good about yourself.  Whenever you get the slightest emotional tug that something just isn’t right with what you’re saying or doing that’s you living outside of your truth. It’s your inner conscious gives you a wake-up call saying”This isn’t you.”  This emotional snap can happen in a nana second.  You may not even notice it or shrug it off as nothing, worse yet; you talk yourself into justifying your behavior.

Your inner “feel good emotion” is your barometer for you living your truth.  Simply put, when you feel good about yourself you’re living your truth.  When you don’t feel good about yourself they you aren’t.

Living your truth encompass every aspect of your life from the relationships you have to how you take care of yourself.  When you find yourself disappointed in yourself because you were silent on an issue you are very passionate about, then you aren’t living your truth.  Your words and actions have to match what you feel inside to live your truth.  It means being honest with yourself and honoring your integrity.

When it comes to speaking your truth no one can tell you what it is.  You have to discover it for yourself.  Your truth is not the same as anyone else’s.  Only you know what will make you feel good about yourself and what will not.  Your emotions are your barometer for maintaining your truth.

Now I ask you, “What is your truth”?

4 Keys to Creating Joy in Your Life

The 4 keys to create joy in your life are closer than you think.  It’s within you.  Yes, you can create the space for it to happen.  All you have to do is bring it out.  However, it’s easier said than done.

1)      First you must discover yourself.  By that I mean you need to become consciously aware of what makes you unique, what makes you stand out.  What gives you the most satisfaction?  What is it that you get a kick out of doing?  Could you do it all day long and not get bored? Do you get excited about it? Would you do it even if you didn’t get paid to do it?

2)      The next step is to believe you have what it takes to become who you are born to be.  No excuses.  No fear, just do it.  Accept your divine self for all your known and unknown attributes.  It’s being able to envision yourself doing what you love to do.  This is the hardest step.

3)      The third step is creating your desired goal.  It’s the nuts and bolts of the desired outcome.  It’s the “how”.  It’s bringing into fruition what you desire.

4)      The last step is living your dream.  Sometimes when people achieve their dream they can’t believe they deserve it and end up sabotaging their own efforts.  They go back to step two and start over again from there.  It means step two wasn’t fully completed.  They didn’t truly believe it was possible so that is where they go back to.  When you embrace the last step you are living your true authentic self.  Isn’t that what you want?