When Life Gives You Lemons, MAKE LEMONADE!

 

When Life Gives You Lemons, MAKE LEMONADE! Seriously, LIFE gives us lots and lots of wins, both BIG WINs and SMALL WINs.  BUT oooops, it's NOT all about WINs, big OR small.  Some downturns do happen.  In fact and in truth, many downturns happen as much as many WINs happen.  And those downturns can either be bad or challenges that we had to face up front.  Look here dude.  For many countries WHO are blessed to have real legitimate summer seasons, NOT everyday does the sun keep shining and dandy.  There will be gloomy skies from time to time.  Knock on wood, sometimes, natural disasters will get into the way💚💛💜

I remember this poetic one-liner:  WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, YOU CHOOSE THE RECIPE.  Of course, we're NOT talking about lemons.  We're talking about those unexpected things that happen in our life, especially those unfortunate challenges that get into our way.  And the reality is that uncertainty is one of life's only certainties.  Everything else remains uncertain, ouch.  NO matter how much you plan and prepare, surprises will indeed pop up, some good, some bad, some frustrating, some daunting and even may be that tragic BUT their commonality is coming in unexpected👌👌👌

WHAT happens next WHEN these unexpected things hit us?  It will test us to our utmost limits.  Our sheer determination.  Our dogged pursuit.  Our resilience, character, discipline and focused mindset, all rolled into one.  YES, the bottomline is, it is HOW you respond and/or react to the unexpected situation that you're facing.  Obviously and naturally, it's nice WHEN things go according to plan OR at the very least, in our favor.  YES, sometimes, the stars will align in our favor.  Routines, habits, and structure help us stay healthy, happy and grounded.  BUT imagine if every day unfolded exactly as expected, NO surprises, NO deviations.  YES, life will be no less stagnant, predictable and frankly, dull.  Growth happens in moments of disruption.  It's in the unexpected that we stretch, adapt, and build our resilience, WHICH we need down the road💥💥💥

To share a sampling of my 'down' moments, they're quite a handful in the past.  And YES, frankly, I was at the very edge of the cliff, about to give up 'in a snap'.  If someone will press me for an adjective, I would run out of it because it's beyond superlatives.  BUT without getting bogged down to details, several times in the past, WHAT started as a disastrous situation DIDN'T swing-around overnight in 180 degrees BUT I was able to turn things around as an opportunity.  HOW?  I CAN'T recall a quick-fix.  There was just NO ONE SIZE THAT FITS ALL.  BUT if at all, with sheer determination, I told myself that the situation was unacceptable and I had to turn around things in 180 degrees no less.  And with that mindset, I gradually inched forward in swinging things around😗😗😗

Our takeaway: YES dude, WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, we always have a choice.  It's NOT something like we are pushed in a corner and our only option left is to give up.  To craft things in a light way, WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, how about you make a snack OR just have a good laugh and juggle them.  Either way, it's up to you BUT the bottomline is, you've got to wiggle out and extricate yourself out of that quagmire because defaulting and NOT lifting any finger will mean you are giving up, WHICH, by any perspective, remains unacceptable even to a neutral bystander like me.  Dude, WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE!!!

If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

 

Only a handful out of everyone is born either as a genius OR as a gifted artist OR a scion of the moguls.  On the same breadth, some are born with the potentials to be intellectually upright WHEREAS some are skilled enough like the blue-collar workers and handyman WHO can fix the wear and tear of various house accessories.  Oh YES, even at the workplace, let's be fair and realistic.  Not everyone can be tagged as part of the 'cream of the crop' OR a high flyer at that.  BUT you might throw back a challenge on me and ask, WHAT do we do with the cellar-dwellers, those WHO are on the lower-rung of the rat race we are all in?  Just like in those competitive sports, the lower performers are NOT disqualified OR made ineligible.  Instead, we all observe a level playing field and IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE [out of it]!!!

Thing is, we can train our minds to always look at the things we do have, our blessings, our gifts and our abilities to make the most of our life.  True, everyone has a different idea of purpose and fulfillment.  Some would attach and peg it to their personal achievements, some to being well-rounded parents OR individuals and some even to their romantic relationships.  A lot of us also measure our milestones in terms of the miles and distance we have reached in our creative pursuits.  Then, there is the other type, those WHO belong to moments, NOT milestones❎❎❎

YES, I guess we can reach a common ground here if I opine that we can say there is NO right OR wrong WAY to approaching life and WHATEVER keeps us motivated to take every day in our stride is quite good enough.  YES indeed, we are all chasing something that may seem elusive WHICH we think will make us happier, better, richer, and so on.  That is the very act of living life, for us to keep going NO matter WHAT.  YET, somehow sometimes, we refrain OR procrastinate from taking the next step💥💥💥

In the end, many times we tend to end up focusing on the resources we do NOT have at our disposal [and that's regrettable].  A typical scenario here is we find our own self in a job that we DON'T really particularly enjoy BUT you just CAN'T leave it for pecuniary considerations OR otherwise.  So, the question is, do we just plunge into hopelessness around your career?  Of course NO.  You find the little things in the job that you can agree with and start from there😊😊😊

Our takeaway:  HAPPINESS itself is really NOT that elusive.  It could be just a phone call to your mom OR dad away.  Truly, before plunging into WHAT you do NOT have, we got to learn to see the world we have created in all its glory and access the best of it.  And gratitude is a powerful virtue to have, especially WHEN we want to steer our mind and heart towards positivity.   YES dude, IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE out of it and be happy enough💚💛💜