Cultivate GREATNESS | Personal Development

by Karen Lynch via CG BlogCarnival

A few days ago in my email I received a story. I will give a short synopsis of the story here to explain where I am going with this.

In the story a professor invited a group of students for a lecture and coffee. The coffee was prepared and there was a mish mash of coffee cups to choose from. There were ugly, chipped cups, small cups, large cups and beautiful, nice cups. As the students poured their coffee, they chose the cups that they desired. Not surprisingly the beautiful, nice cups were the first cups chosen.

As the students sat down for the lecture, the professor remarked on the fact that the nice cups were taken first. He said that coffee was coffee and that the cup didn’t matter, because what the students really wanted was the coffee and the coffee tasted the same in any cup. He then said the coffee was representative of Life–which is what we all want and the cups were representative of jobs, relationships, cars, houses etc. Things that “contain” our lives. He said that the problem with them was that they were too picky about the “containers” when what they really wanted was the “Life”.

I liked the analogy of the coffee representing life and the cups representing jobs, relationships and so forth or the “containers” of life. But I pondered this story for a couple of days and it touched me or I would not be writing about it now. I must say I disagree with his conclusion that we are all too picky about the containers when all we really want is Life. I think we all want more and more of Life and that comes down to choosing better “containers”.

I have two “very favorite” coffee cups. One is a large stoneware mug, with a perfectly thick handle that my whole hand can fit around. The coffee fills the cup and the outside of the cup that fits so perfectly in my hands warms up and warms my hands as I drink my coffee. The smell wafts up from my wonderful coffee cup and the aroma hits my nose first and I feel warm and wonderful and happy anticipation of the first sip of the wonderful coffee.

My other favorite cup is new. I received it just last week at a Christmas gift from EzineArticles for being a platinum level author. It also has a perfect handle that fits my hand. But when I look at it I am reminded of the joy and the happiness that I feel when writing. I am reminded that I am doing work that I love and that I am so blessed.

My point here is that the coffee cup does matter. The coffee tastes better and the coffee makes me happier when I drink it from my favorite cups. By the same token, Jobs, relationships, houses, etc. and other “containers” of life do matter, especially if we create our own life. I can have “life” living in my car underneath the viaduct or I can have life living in the Mansion on the hill. My preference is the Mansion on the Hill. I have a choice. You have a choice. Choose the Best cup for you! Don’t settle for less than all you can be, do or have! You Deserve to have the Best Coffee Cup, don’t believe anyone who tells you it tastes the same in any old cup–it doesn’t!

May your Chosen Cups Runneth over with Joy and Happiness of a Life well Lived!