#bethecoffee

Potatoes, Eggs and Coffee Beans

Many of us including me have been laid off or are faced with our businesses being on shifting ground. We are challenged with renewing, reinventing and retooling! I have been fortunate to land a new role as VP of Strategic Partnerships @ePromos that I am super excited about, but that is not the case for many.

In the promo space many amazing suppliers and distributors have pivoted to keep their companies alive and vibrant and seeing that innovation inspired me to share this story that helped me think differently about my lay off.

I am re-posting this story after being reminded of it on Darren Daily @darrenhardy.

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. He placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He took the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup (with a logo on it of course).

Turning to her, he asked. “What do you see?” “Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer”, he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

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

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity – the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

What I love about this story is the hopefulness and realization that so many of our life circumstances are shaped by how we view them.

So many have helped me in my career I would love to pay it forward. If you are involved in the promo, branding, print or marketing space or any space at all and you need a sounding board, someone just to listen to or if I can help you professionally find a new home please reach out.

#bethecoffee #ePromos #ThePromoKnowHowPeople #ePromosCulture #togetherstrong #marketing #partnership #brandedmerchandise