The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change
Jon Gordon
From bestselling author Jon Gordon and rising star Damon West comes The Coffee Bean an illustrated fable that teaches readers how to transform their environment, overcome challenges, and create positive change. Life is often difficult. It can be harsh, stressful, and feel like a pot of boiling hot water. more
112 pages, Unknown Binding
First published Wiley
4.06
Rating
3819
Ratings
490
Reviews
Jon Gordon
93 books 585 followers
Jon Gordon is an American business consultant and author on the topics of leadership, culture, sales, and teamwork.Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest The Positive Dog. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Novartis, Bayer and more.
Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.
When he's not running through airports or speaking, you can find him playing tennis or lacrosse with his wife and two "high energy" children.
You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jongordonpage
Community reviews
A simple book to recharge and motivate us. We need to recharge our battery 🔋 before we dry up. Keep our motivational level positive from time to time. Time to drink some coffee. 😁. more
“Life is often like a pot of very hot water. It can be a harsh, stressful, and difficult place. You will find yourself in environments and facing conditions that test who you truly are, and can change, weaken, or harden you if you let them. ”(Just pick up this short book now. )“We don’t have to allow the negativity on social media to influence us. more
A short and quick read my boss loaned me seeing how much I enjoy reading in our office down time. Fairly stoic in its philosophy. You can control your reactions to the circumstances around you. While everything was tied up neatly with a little bow I appreciated that this was a modern fable. A story method I feel we've moved well away from societally. more
I liked the concept and it’s a quick read, but looking for some concrete ways to become a coffee bean. It’s all very good to explain what one is,etc. but how do I get there. Feel like this could have been explored more and book is repetitive. more
Cute, quick read. Shallow and predictable, rather than insightful, though. . more
Positive thinking is wonderful. However, there must be thinking involved. This is maybe the most ill-thought through metaphor for adversity ever created. According to this, one must not be like a carrot or an egg in boiling water - both of which come out edible and nutritious (in the metaphor there is something wrong with a food being edible, evidently). And in the case of the carrot, it also flavors the water. more
It's been a few weeks of self-employment now, and well. it's lonely. The part where one stares at a blank wall in complete silence, waiting for something to happen can get a bit overwhelming. After some days of coming to grips with this new life, I chanced upon a delightfully positive book. In this fable about a stressed and troubled boy called Abe, Jon Gordon brings to life three responses to 'boiling water' one is faced with:1. more
Loved this book. A quick read but more powerful than you could imagine. I have read almost all of Jon Gordon's books which are all amazing. This one is different, but just as impactful if not more. Having also read Damon West's memoir and knowing the backstory behind this tale, makes it even more worth the read. more
The metaphor is ok, but the book doesn't say anything else. It might as well say 'Abe had a mantra and every time life was hard he repeated the mantra and things got better. '. more
Disclaimer: I read this because my principal was considering it as a "professional read" for my staff. I would in reality give this maybe 2 stars if I had just picked it up on my own (although, I probably wouldn't have chosen it on my own) just because it is SO not my taste. I get the idea behind, and I like the message, I just don't get how someone could say, "yes, write a 90 page book that is really on 15 pages of text about an allegory" and expect it to be a bestseller. And yet, here we are. Anyway, I digress. more
Preachy and not very substantial. Interesting metaphor. Having read many student essays, I can tell when someone is stretching things out. Not remotely worth the ~$10 price tag. more
"Coffee bean" is memorable metaphors and a story to which everyone can relate. A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change" درسی ازتاب آوری و تغییر نرم به سبک دانه قهوه در تلاطم آب جوشان(در مقایسه با هویج و تخم مرغ) Life can be tough. There are three basic responses in the face of adversity. We can represent each of them with the way an object reacts to being placed in boiling water, which is a metaphor for being surrounded by difficult environments or circumstances. The first response is to act like a carrot – growing soft and weak with emotions like fear and hopelessness. more
A really simple book with a great lesson. Took me about 20 minutes to read it. . more
Simple reminders on how to stop being a victim. Quick read. Recommend. more
This one seemed like Damon West's promotion picture book. The fable(metaphor) was good, the book was not. Repetitive and lacked anything that could support the metaphor. more
I recently completed an advanced reading copy of The Coffee Bean. What an inspiration. While the book is short, it definitely packs a punch, full of nuggets of truth. It can be read in one sitting and is short enough to easily be reread numerous times. I have now read it 4 times and get something new out of it each time. more
A short fable with minimal substance that offers a series of quick turnarounds in life based on a change in self awareness that happens immediately in the fable upon a character believing they are more like a coffee bean then a carrot or an egg. Positive message, but unrealistic in the amount of time this mental shift takes and overly simplistic. If you like fables for life messages, read it. If you want something to offer guidance or direction for how to change your mindset, look elsewhere. more
This book is amazing. It is a short, easy read, but packed with so much goodness. Life lessons are tough for sure but this book will give you the inspiration on how to get through all the things. I passed this little gem onto the President of my company and she loved it so much that she is now having all our staff read it as well. . more
First of all, I love Jon Gordon. Hearing him speak was amazing. But this book fell short. I’m shocked at the $17 price for the book. The message is a good message but could have been relayed through an email. more
AMAZING BOOMThis book is a short and very simple read, with a huge empowering message. It’ll revamp your entire way of seeing difficult situations and overcoming them. I would have put 10 stars if I could, but 5 will do. . more
Short, powerful and memorable book reminding us that the circumstances around us shouldn’t come to define us. . more
A small book that focus on creating positive change by using a small steps. more
This book is made by a wealthy white gen x man who only knows how to do one thing and that’s gaslight others into Toxic Positivity. Was gifted this (as well as the rest of the team) by my boss at a holiday work party, don’t be a coffee bean. Be a Mr. Jackson— someone who is able to identify someone struggling in the world and give them the tools to help them through. DONT BE LIKE ABE a one note hack who relies on HIMSELF and ONE SKILL to change the world. more
Perhaps my favorite part about this book is that this is a book has so far engaged a high school student (one that I have been incredibly worried about as his teacher), including that this is the first book that he has finished in several years. It is a fable that demonstrates that life can be incredibly challenging and gives a metaphor (using a coffee bean) or how someone can overcome struggle and create positive change. I am pretty sure that from now on I will look at coffee beans, carrots, and eggs in a different way. . more
Simple, quick read, but great. When life is a hot pot of water, don’t be a carrot and get weakened (give up, quit) by your environment, don’t be an egg and get hardened (negative, anger, numb), but be a coffee bean and transform your environment. This can go for all of life’s challenges. . more
A fast and positive look at life. It can be hard at times, but this is definitely a great way of thinking of things that may be challenging. Now to remember this during difficult times. I think I will reread and absorb it all again. . more
Quick read and great object lesson. I have actually used it in talks with a few people since reading it. . more
A very quick ready with a big impact. I enjoyed this quick read however I do wish it was a more indepth explanation of how to be the coffee bean. I still believe it should be one of my recommended reads. Great for a one sitting read. more