Once upon a time, a child complained to a loving father that life was miserable and that the child didn’t know how they were going to pull through.
The child was sick of battling and struggling all the time. It appeared just as one issue was worked out, a different one shortly followed.
The loving father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled up 3 pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
When the 3 pots started to boil, he put potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to the child.
The child groaned and impatiently waited, questioning what he was doing. After several minutes, he switched off the burners.
He took the potatoes out of the pot and put them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and put them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and put it in a cup.
Addressing the child, he asked, “Child, what do you see?”
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” the child hastily responded.
“Look closer”, he stated, “and touch the potatoes”. The child did and noticed that they were soft.
He then asked the child to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, the child noticed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked the child to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a grin to the child’s face.
“Father, what does this mean?”
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs, and coffee beans had each confronted the same hardship, the boiling water. However, each one responded differently.
The potato went in strong, hard and unforgiving, but in boiling water it got soft and weak.
The egg was fragile with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior till it was set in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg got hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unparalleled. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they altered the water and produced something new.
“Which are you?” he asked his child. “When hardship knocks on your door, how do you react? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
In life, things occur around us and things happen to us, but the sole thing that truly matters is what occurs inside us.
Indeed, there are things that we might not understand at times but we can relate to them through simple illustrations like this.
There could be events in our life that we are not aware that we are drifting away unknown of the possible dangers that is on the way.
It is like relaxing in a boat on the river not knowing that it will fall down into a very deep waterfall.
And going back to the consequences of reactions, it doesn’t matter the scourge and trials you are into right now.
Again, how would you react to it?
How will you take it?
How will you create something out of it?
How would you want it to end?
Would you allow it to shape you or reshape you?
Would you let it develop you into a better version of yourself?
Would you let the fire purify or harness you?
What are the things that you can learn from all of these?
What are the other things that you have to learn in the process?
Why am I throwing a lot of questions now?
It is to stimulate you and make you think and ponder deeper.
In order to move you from your current way of thinking into something above it and beyond it.
Also, you cannot resolve the situation with the same way of thinking.
Transform Negative “Reactions” Into Positive “Pro-actions”
1. What happens when we let ourselves becomes dominated by negative responses to life, e.g. destructive behavior patterns, negative emotions, apathy, and so on?
We find ourselves getting “worked up,” often to the detriment of our own wellbeing as well as to those around us.
The result? We risk becoming increasingly angry and bitter about aspects of our life that we believe we have little or no control over.
The solution? To explore the reality behind these actions and emotions, and transform them into positive causes.
2. Are You?
– Too Easily “Affected” By Your Environment?
– Guilty Of Feeling Anger And/Or Resentment?
– Often Letting Yourself And Others Down As A Result?
Begin making the transformation today!
3. What’s In It for You?
– Discover the Reality behind These “Reactions”
– Develop Ways of Recognizing and Countering Them
– Master How to Transform Them into Positive and Proactive Causes
By learning to transform your negative “reactions” into positive “pro-actions”, you create a far healthier state of physical and emotional wellbeing for yourself and your environment.
In turn, you become increasingly capable and responsible as individuals, and when faced with greater challenges you automatically find yourself better equipped to deal with them and move on.
How do you achieve this?
Simple – first you have to acknowledge what it is that’s encouraging you to react in this way, and then turn it around so as to create something more positive.
For example, instead of reacting aggressively to a particular comment, you can learn to respond more appropriately by understanding what triggered that reaction coupled with its negative impact on yourself and your environment.
As soon as we’ve got to grips with the cause, you’re able to turn it on its head and understand what it is you need to be or do differently.
Another example: instead of responding with a defeatist, “I can’t do anything about it,” try saying, “I understand it’s been difficult in the past, but this time I’m going to look at alternatives.”
Result – in addition to becoming far happier and resilient in ourselves, you naturally radiate the benefits of such actions to others.
INQUIRY: Take a look back at some recent situations when you allowed yourself to react negatively or angrily. What triggered this behavior?
What were your emotions and feelings before, during and after?
Had you responded in a more proactive manner, what would you have done differently and what would have been the outcome?
ACTION: For the next thirty days, explore the reality that’s causing you to react negatively to your life and your environment.
Learn from the above and check in with any emotions and feelings. Get to grips with what it is you need to be and do differently and put it into action.
Notice the difference you create within yourself and those around you.
“Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will – his personal responsibility.” – Albert Einstein
