When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade – Dale Carnegie

In Life we are surrounded by lemons – and these are not always the fresh, tangy, invigorating variety loaded with Vitamin C that are good for our health. They are sometimes the sour fruit of our labours or relationships that have gone sour.  

I don’t know when the good fruit became a metaphor to represent everything going wrong in our lives – such as  a recently purchased car that simply will not run , a business opportunity we have invested in that does not get off the ground.

In my opinion there are no lemons – and we can turn it into the most amazing experience of our lives if we seek the lesson contained therein and then  apply it for even better results,  making a sweeter lemonade that is refreshing to drink, from an unbearably sour experience.

Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.  – Napoleon Hill

Being only human our natural reaction when faced with setbacks is to complain- “Why did this happen to me!”  Still others often are heard to lament about why bad things happen to good people. My theory is that good people have the ability to reflect on the experience and grow something phenomenal out of it, while  others merely shrug it off in a superficial way and move on through life still wallowing in misery and dwelling on the negative side of the experience.

Truth is, we have a choice . Disappointment and uncertainty is the first and very natural reaction to it. However, often it is nature’s way of pointing out a lesson to grow that would not otherwise have occured to you.

Stories abound around us- the person who unfairly lost his job, only to launch a successful business that was infinitely more rewarding than the job he had lost, or the unhappy divorced or unceremoniously dumped person, who rebuilt her self- esteem to find a wonderful new partner in life that she may have previously overlooked because she had not grown sufficiently to recognize the value of his gifts!

Often we are denied the first thing we are hoping for because fate intends us to get something or someone far better suited to us!  The lemons we encounter are more often than not, blessings in disguise.  Adversity reveals hidden potential in us and in the situation.

How Lemons or Adversity helps us:

1. Lemons give us a refreshing new perspective

People who have recovered from life threatening injuries or health issues often come out stronger and value every moment of their fresh lease on life. Healthy people often take life for granted.

2. Lemons remind us of the fresh scent of  gratitude

Any situation that causes a loss of some kind, cause us to develop a deeper appreciation for the other aspects of the situation for which we are grateful, such as a loving family or true friendships that help to pull us through.

3. Lemons squeeze out our hidden potential

When life tests us and finds us equal to the task, we are able to handle the next disappointment much better because we became stronger from the first experience. Also, it is a well known fact that our challenges bring out the best within us – our character blossoms, and we discover abilities we never knew we possessed.

4. Lemons encourage us to take new actions

When we get stuck in a routine of old familiar patterns, it takes a lemony crisis to launch us out of that orbit into the brave new expanded world of fresh opportunities requiring an adjustment or course correction to your old path, causing one to achieve spectacular success on the new path instead of stagnating  in the old one.

5. Lemons opens the doors to New opportunities

What appears to be a disappointment in your career or relationship, is really a kick in the pants towards a wonderful , and often better prospect that awaits you. If you only had the sense to see it!

6. Lemons build character and confidence

We draw on  character , courage and strength when we are punched in the face, so that we can rise above it and by overcoming the obstacle or challenge, we feel competent and boost our self confidence. As a result we benefit from an overall greater sense of self worth than we did before!

A wise teacher once told me, too many people who have been burnt, now fear the fire. But fire is good. We should take the time to carefully reflect on the lemons that life handed us, and find the lesson or insight from it that will propel us to our certain success!

What is your recipe for making good lemonade?