Introduction
Do you often feel that life is unfair? Often in our lives, things do not go as planned.
Unfortunate circumstances and unnecessary delays ruin our planning.
Just when we feel that everything is going smoothly in our lives, tables turn and force us to take different actions.
‘When life gives you lemons’, all you can do is to make the best of the situation.
You tend to cry, get frustrated, fight, argue, or even take drastic steps, but alas, you realize that nothing can be done.
The phrase, ‘When life gives you lemons’ was written to explain such circumstances.
The phrase was modified aptly as, ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’.
You do not have to go by the literal translation of the phrase but look at it with a deeper perspective.
When life throws strange or sour circumstances at you, all you can do is to make the best of the situation.
We get very unhappy when things happen against our wishes. But by being unhappy, you are not going to be able to change the situation.
You will only spoil your mindset, spread negativity around, and waste your time.
Ultimately, you will have to deal with the situation that life has offered to you only.
The journey from lemons to lemonade can be made quick and easy by those who take everything positively in life. Such optimists always think of alternative solutions and the best possible options for a given problem.
They think fast and take chances in life. It is these who come out as winners in the end. Such winners achieve far greater in life than those who get everything served in a platter.
In this article, I am going to discuss a few instances of great people who made the best of the worst circumstances in their lives.
Make Lemonade with the Lemons
You may argue that not every situation can be turned into a positive event.
This is absolutely true, but tell me, will arguing about it, crying about or feeling depressed change the turn of events?
You cannot change destiny and you cannot fight fate. Whatever life has in store for you, you will have to experience it.
A clever person is someone who takes every situation sportingly and tries to turn it into his advantage.
You may argue that you do not like lemonade and that you would prefer making another drink from lemons.
You may also feel that there was no warning before the sour lemons were pelted at you at full speed. But misfortunes rarely come with a warning.
Lemonade is just used to suggest a delicious flavored drink from sour lemons. This proverbial phrase suggests you turn every adversity or misfortune into something beneficial or positive.
The initial setback when things do not go as planned is quite grave. You may spend days or weeks crying over it.
But in the end, you should think of all the possible ways you can change the adversity to your benefits. Here are examples of some people who made lemonade, when life gave them lemons.
Nick Vujicic is a young man who was born without limbs. He gracefully managed to turn his unfortunate life into a life without limits.
In this autobiography with the same name, he penned down how he was always made fun of by people.
He also mentioned how growing up was a constant struggle with the world around him. But finally, he managed to make lemonade from his sour and lemony kind of life.
He did not get depressed or low-spirited but went on to make a great life for himself that also brought delight in the life of others. He started a non-profit organization called ‘life without limits’, and went on to become a very motivational public speaker.
In his speeches, he often speaks about how there is always hope and meaning in life.
He gives the number one method of making lemonade out of lemons in life is to be hopeful, positive, calm, and grateful for what you have.
His speeches have inspired many disabled people and also those who are suffering from other problems in life.
Similarly, here is another example of Fredrick Douglass, who too managed to make lemonade, when life gives you lemons. Douglass was born into slavery.
He had had a very tough childhood full of atrocities. But that never made him depressed or lose hope in life. He decided to use his life for the cause of other slaves.
His main purpose in life became to fight against slavery and not let anyone else be treated as a slave. He went on to become a great orator in life and acquired a lot of knowledge.
He learned whatever qualities he needed to turn his sour life into a deliciously flavored and pleasant life.
He is a great example of someone who turned lemons into lemonade, even when his life was unfair. He did not give up and follow the others but went on to become a great example to thousands like him.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! none could explain this phrase better than Stephen Hawking.
The renowned and most celebrated cosmologist, physicist, author, and Director of Research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.
He has shown immense courage and hopes when everything in his life was turning topsy-turvy. He has proved to be a great example for all those who think that life has been unfair to them.
He has a condition called motor neuron disease. He is also paralyzed. In spite of such difficulties in life, he communicates through a ‘Speech Synthesizer’ and went to get great success in life.
In one of his most inspirational words, he once mentioned that he is not afraid of death, but he is not ready to die yet, as he has a lot to accomplish in life.
When a person with so many multiple physical disabilities could be so hopeful, then why can’t we?
Why do we get disturbed with unfortunate circumstances in life?
Whatever the situation in life, always thank God for whatever you have. Always look at people lower than you and be thankful for what you have.
Do not compare yourself with those above you as that will make you only sad and more miserable. When you look at people below you, you can acknowledge your own gifts and capabilities and make the best of your life.
Laugh At The Face Of Adversities And Emerge Stronger
When adversity strikes, you need to sit back, relax, and think. Obviously, you wanted things to happen in a different way.
But they have happened. There is no turning back. Blaming anyone will not get you back what you wanted in life. You will only waste time, peace, positivity, and even relationships.
What you need to do is to take the adversity as a challenge. Decide and challenge yourself that you will live it through in the best way possible.
When you laugh at the face of adversities and refuse to budge from your principles, unknown forces will come by to guide you and take you to your final destination.
History is full of great people who have fought extreme circumstances and finally emerged stronger and winners only because they refused to let go.
These people did not get scared of the problems, obstacles, or hurdles coming their way. They took up and faced every adversity in a positive way and found their way out. You need to do the same.
The recent lockdown of more than 3 months in various countries put regular life to a standstill. Millions lost their jobs, beloved people, source of income, and customers.
Millions found their future plans to be shattered. People invest in various EMIs with the hope of paying from their monthly earnings.
But with the lockdown and no income for so long, everyone’s plannings when haywire. But getting depressed about it or blaming the government could not rewind everything. People faced what they had to bravely.
There were many who took this time as a chance to bond better with their family members.
Using the internet in a resourceful way, people quarantined at home, spent quality time with their loved ones, read a lot, cooked a lot, and relaxed a lot. This is a classic example of ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’.
Conclusion
So, finally, I would just like to advise that although you do get disturbed when misfortunes come your way, you need to get up quickly.
You need to fight the challenges and accept the problems gracefully. You need to think of the best possible solutions in a given scenario and act accordingly.
Did you enjoy what you read? Did this article bring a jolt of lightening into your frustrated minds?
The main aim of this article was to help people facing adverse situations in life, see things in a different light.
If you want to add something to this discussion, please feel free to leave a comment in our comment section.
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