It takes being selfish in a healthy way by doing what you know is best for you, regardless of the opinions of others - even the opinions of close friends and family. Living authentically means that you make choices without fear, trusting in your soul’s wisdom… If you value personal pursuits, don’t feel forced into a certain job just to make enough money to keep up with your neighbors. Conversely, if you prize success in business, don’t let others’ perception of what’s right for you hold you back. Denying your unique truth can lead to feelings of failure and dissatisfaction because you aren’t acknowledging your true self. In living your truth, there are no pretenses. Everything you do will reflect who you truly are.

A carrot, an egg and a cup of coffee… You will never look at a cup
of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
Things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.

It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took
her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.
In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed
ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

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

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did
and noted that they were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take
An egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard
boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water,
it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer
shad 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 had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee
bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with
a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you
elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make
you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along
their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten
past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling. Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling
and everyone around you is crying.