Lemons &
Smiles
“When
life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”
This simple quotation by Dale Carnegie, I believe, is actually one that
can be life changing. Making the best of
what we have and not dwelling on what might have been, or should have been, or
even could have been, will set us on the path to fulfilling our potential. The simple truth is that, whatever it is that
you have, that is all that you have. You must work with it, or fail, because you
have nothing else! Wishing for something
different will not change the facts of the situation.
We
all know those that continuously whine when circumstances aren’t exactly as
they envisage. Nothing is ever their fault; it is always someone else that is to
blame. Do you notice anything else that
these individuals have in common; yes, that’s it; they are almost universally,
failures. Everything must be
exceptional, that extraordinary job, that phenomenal person, the perfect
conclusion; nothing else will do, and consequentially, nothing is ever
accomplished.
This quote seems to tie
in with, “It is what it is.” Now, this
just happens to be my momma’s favorite saying, she has probably said this at
least once a week for my entire life. Of
course, I listened, well halfway anyway, mostly I just smiled. Well, guess what; one day, something
changed.
When I was about eleven
years old, I would always get this terrible, agonizing pain in my knee whenever
I played soccer. At first, I just wore a
knee brace, hoping that it would help, and for a while, it did. It never completely freed me from my pain, but
it was good enough for me to play again.
Since the pain kept coming back my parents took me to all kinds of
doctors and specialists, but nothing, and no one, seemed to help. I was terrified that I would never be able to
play again, but I realized that there was nothing I could do about it. It was what it was. Fortunately, after four years, I found out
what was really wrong; part of my knee was out of place. This amazing lady pushed back into place for me and told me that
I wouldn’t be able to play for two months; I would have to go through therapy. Of course, it was upsetting, but what could I
do? I just had to look at the bright
side and realize that I would be back out on the field in no time.
“Making lemonade,” making
the best of any situation, this is what makes one person able to succeed and
another to suffer nothing but continuous failure. Taking a disappointment, turning it into a
challenge, this keeps us always striving to be our best. It makes us learn to depend upon ourselves
and come to the realization that we can
do it! We learn new strategies, gain new
insights; in other words, we determine to get it done, no matter what! This teaches us to challenge life, not simply
let it happen.
So, what is it that have
I learned throughout my life? Well, if
momma or daddy comes home from the store with way to many lemons, don’t be distressed that they may rot and go to
waste. Squeeze them, make a lemon
meringue pie, bake a cake, and use them all up!
Make lemonade! It all starts with
you. You cannot expect others to do anything
if you are not willing to do it yourself.
Set the example, work it out, and get on with life!
Aye girl, your optimism knows no bounds! Your honesty authenticates your writing; your eternal niceties keep me entertained. Of your three posts, this was the best because not only was it more personal, but also because the example extracts empathy from the reader. Always keep this tactic in mind! To truly emphasize the power of positivity, you must pay note to its antithesis. Optimism cannot be defined without its opposite! Make sure your examples of the negative view are always empathy-drawing, so that when you bring attention back to the positive outlook, it rings that much more strongly. Honesty has two sides, and though the positive side is superior, the negative side can be used to great effect through comparison.
ReplyDeleteThnaks for the positive criticism! :D
ReplyDeleteashleigh! this was a really nice post! i love how you say that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself and make the most of it, because it's true that it's never anyone else's fault. our lives are in our own hands and although we cannot always decide what may happen to us, we can always ALWAYS decide how we choose to look at the given situation and how we choose to handle it. it all depends on us. (:
ReplyDeleteNice post Ashleigh. You’re so true about kids whining whenever they don’t get what they want. Especially with today’s generation that throws a fit whenever they don’t get the newest laptop or IPhone. I think everyone should live by your advice and instead of focusing on what they don’t have, focus on what they have and be grateful for it. No one will always get what they want and when they don’t they should just “make lemonade”. Overall it was a very nice insightful post.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh!
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say. I really enjoy reading your post. Especially becuase I can relate to you in the percpective of having to stop playing soccer and even though in pain you rather pretend or gnore the pain. But most importantly I really like the way you defined this saying and your right you can't and wont always have the perfect day but you can always try to make the best out of if We have controll on the way we overcome and drive ourselfs and we make a mistake no one is to blame but us. Yes we did the wrong decision but it is up to us to see it as a learning experience and make the best out of it.Although I understand it's not easy to do, If I may say so myself but we should always try to look at the bright side. I really like what you said at the end " ... You cannot expect others to do anything if you are not willing to do it yourself. Set the example, work it out, and get on with life". Great way to end it!Good Job
-Alejandra Gonzalez