🏆 Adversity and the Coffee Bean

November 17, 2022

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ONE THOUGHT...

Adversity is guaranteed in SPORTS.

Adversity is guaranteed in LIFE.

As coaches, we are always looking for ways to share success stories of how people or athletes handle adversity, setbacks, or failure.

One such story and example that I came across over the last year can be found in a highly recommended book called "The Coffee Bean" by Damon West.

Below is a summarized version of this book. I encourage you to check out the book!

“The Coffee Bean” by Damon West

A young man went to his grandfather and told him about his life and how things were so hard for him. He did not know how he was going to make it and wanted to give up. He was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose. 

His grandfather took him to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, he placed carrots; in the second, he placed eggs; and in the last, he placed ground coffee beans. 

He let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes, he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to his grandson, he asked, "Tell me, what do you see?" 

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the young man replied. 

The grandfather brought him closer and asked him to feel the carrots. He did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked him to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, he observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked him to sip the coffee. The grandson smiled as he tasted its rich aroma. 

The grandson then asked, "What does it mean, grandpa?" 

His grandfather explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to 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 changed the water. 

"Which are you?" the grandfather asked her grandson.

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

Ask your athletes the same questions, which are you?

Are you the carrot that seems strong but with pain and adversity, do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? 

Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart but changes with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, or a financial hardship, does your shell look the same but on the inside, are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? 

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean when things are at their worst, do 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? 

Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

This story epitomizes the mindset we all need to have when adversity strikes. It is all about our response. When things do not go your way, you have three choices:

  • Do you become soft and wilt when adversity strikes?

  • Do you become hardened, bitter, and stiff when adversity strikes?

  • Do you act like the coffee bean and become your best during times of adversity? Do you use adversity to make things better and change the situation around you?

Share this great story with your team. Share examples of how adversity could strike during your season. Have them prepared. Ask who will be the coffee bean on your team.

What kind of response will your team have?

The Mindset and Attitude of your team will determine this response.

BE a COFFEE BEAN!

TWO QUOTES...

"Plays are not as important as players, and players are not as important as teammates" - Don Meyer

"To be a good player on your team, you have to affect someone else on the team. You have to cause them to play better by the way you play." - Nick Saban

THREE TWEETS FROM OTHERS...

Check out my Book: Culture WINS!

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  • Be an MVT (Most Valuable Teammate)

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