The unavoidable reality of being alive is that there will be times when you struggle. There will be adversity. We will all face challenges. Adversity is inevitable. We will get sick. We will have disagreements. Things will be broken. There will be surprises. At times it will feel like nothing is going as planned. How we handle these trials and tribulations, however, is almost entirely up to us as people and is of the utmost importance.

There’s an old proverb that says “the same boiling water that softens a potato will harden an egg.” In addition to sounding like the beginning of an enticing recipe, this seemingly simple quote holds a profound message about resilience, adaptability, and the power of individual response to life’s challenges. We have a choice in how we react to adversity and our response defines our strength.

The metaphor of boiling water serves as an apt representation of the trials and tribulations that life presents. The boiling water is a universal symbol of an unforgiving environment that creates adversity, challenges, and stressors that we all encounter at various points in our lives. In life, if we don’t deal with the challenges appropriately, we can end up softened, mushy and unable to support the weight of our lives.

Conversely, when an egg is placed in boiling water, it doesn’t soften but instead hardens. The heat and pressure transform it into something more robust. In life, this can be likened to individuals who use adversity as an opportunity for personal growth. They face challenges, adapt, and emerge from difficult situations stronger and wiser. The egg represents resilience, adaptability, and the strength to emerge stronger from life’s crucible.

Everyone that our team works with is facing significant challenges. For many, the challenges that we help them with are the most difficult challenges that they have ever had to face. However, these are obstacles that can lead to incredible personal growth. Our jobs as advocates for our clients is to help them get through that morass so that they can see and experience the positive changes in their lives.

Hopefully, our client’s and anyone facing hard times and the all-encompassing intensity of the boiling water that represents life is to develop a plan to help them get to the other side with as little harm as possible. When faced with these issues, we all need to ask ourselves what will I let it do to me?