When Life Gives You Lemons – Make Lemonade!

I love the saying.. “When life gives you lemons – make lemonade!” I really don’t know where that came from but I do think that it makes sense.  I guess it is really just another way of telling us to be optimistic. My belief is that we should always try to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty. It makes things a lot easier. Life is complex already in itself, and I believe that if we look at the positive things around us, or the beautiful things that we have rather than what we don’t have, then we can have the inner peace that a lot of people strive for.

I know you might say, “Hey we can’t have peace all the time.” I agree. We encounter stress and disappointments everyday and challenges can weaken us. However, if we devote our time to feeling sorry for ourselves or being negative, it will only weaken us further. Here are some things I ponder about when the odds are against me, or when things just aren’t going the way I would like them to.

1. When a door closes a window opens – Just last week, my plans for my dream vacation were put to a halt. I was very disappointed, but talking through it with someone that I cared for deeply made me feel better. We were able to plan a better trip, and we had the chance to really speak and open up to each other.

2. Be around people you can trust and be yourself with – I practice this a lot. I speak with people who I know will be there for me, no matter what.  They are there through the good and the bad. I want to emphasize that these should be people who you can be yourself around. There are occasions, of course, when we feel that we want to keep it to ourselves, but sometimes keeping it deep inside us, and not letting it out, can do more harm than good.

3. Give life to your passion – The best way I know to cope during the bad moments is by doing something that I am passionate about. When we do the thing that we love the most, it lets us forget our troubles for awhile and allows us to see the value of our existence.

4. Have some “me” time – Giving yourself some time to think and relax by yourself will help you to look inside yourself, analyze your situation and plan your next action. I often use this time to meditate and pray.

5. Try to be encouraging to others – Giving is the best cure! By being helpful to others, you feel good yourself. It’s not easy, believe me, but it will allow you to take the focus off your problems. Who knows? You might also learn from the sharing that you get from your dear loved ones.

Being optimistic and positive is the best way to counter any negative or bad feelings we experience. Bad things or challenges will always be there. It is the way we handle them that matters. Maybe you have some suggestions. Please feel free to add them here, I am sure we will all benefit from each others experiences.

Main Image Source – The Big Splash