Carrot, egg, coffee beans

There was once a father whose son was leaving for his first day of  college. Unsure of his future and fearful of  expectations others would give him, he had gone to his father and poured his heart out. Without saying a word, the  father led him to the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, the father allowed a kettle of water to be brought to a boil. In it, he placed a carrot. After a few minutes, he took out the carrot and set it aside.
The next thing he placed inside the kettle of water was an egg. After a few minutes, he took out the egg and set it aside.
The last thing he placed was a handful of coffee beans. After closing the kettle's lid, he turned to face his son.
"Son, the water in the kettle represents adversity. In the course of navigating through life, we sometimes come across situations that put pressure on us and make us uncomfortable"
"The carrot represents some people who go in with an optimistic view. Strong, hard, and unrelenting, they realize in the end that they are unable to take the pressure and soften up, just as the carrot did."
"The egg represents people who go into life with a negative view. Starting out as fragile individuals, they become hardened and difficult to live with in the end."
"The coffee beans, however, eventually changed the water that it was boiling in. These are the people who allow circumstances to change them for the better and increase their sphere of influence, as a result"
Handing his son a cup of coffee he then asked: "When adversity comes knocking, how will you respond? Will you be a carrot, egg or a coffee bean?"