Thankfully, I have experienced enough mishaps to realize most are our gifts in disguise, and the time is now to travel down a different road. Life and business are a series of ups and downs. We must answer the question, Are you ready to make lemonade? and prepare accordingly.
Two Evergreen Expressions for When Events Take A Downturn:
‘Make lemonade out of lemons.’ ~ Two recent incidents required I purchase the lemons! ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ ~ I purchased the lemons!
My Story
Although we enjoyed a holiday getaway with family and friends, the mishaps began then. The bugs were ferocious in that they bit everyone in sight to the degree of swelling and expanding across the bodily area. The prescribed creams did not work to remove the itching.
Travel Teaches Inclusion and New Ideas
Long ago, at age 17, I was an exchange student in Guadalajara for the summer. It was hot, so my roommate and I decided to open the window to sleep better. Bad idea! The mosquitoes swarmed inside.
Lesson Learned Forever
- Buy fresh lemons to cut into slivers.
- Fry each slice in a frying pan on high heat until brown on both sides.
- Apply the hot lemon to the bite to feel the sting disappear!
Upon purchasing the lemons, a clerk shared his story. He is from Venezuela, and remarkably, in his country, the lemons are green, and the limes are yellow! It was surprising, but then it was my turn to surprise him by relaying my reason for the purchase. We enjoyed a laugh together.
Further Down the Rabbit Hole
Admittedly, while on vacation, the internet connection was inadequate; after many attempts, I stopped using the app. Sadly, upon my return, ‘The lead customer service person’ relayed that I had Zero Credibility on their platform and that they would delete my account.
Stunned, I replied that I was active on their social media site almost from the day of inception and had a sizable following to prove it. Over the years, my followers grew, and I learned from many. My favorite part was seeing the beautiful photos posted from around the world.
Down, Down, Down
The team lead for ‘customer care’ could care less about my status. She demanded that I change my password for security, omitting the needed instructions. Immediately, I made the change to notify my customer care team lead, but she couldn’t find it. After three attempts, she asked for a screenshot for proof. Upon sending the screenshot, to my astonishment, the woman asked what I was sending.
The following demand was to continue changing the password until it worked. What?!How is this a ‘customer support’ person?
My last response was to ask, if I attempt this 100 times, will the system magically accept the effort?
The End Result: I deleted the account.
Sadly, I will miss the people with whom I connected globally. However, I hope some of us reconnect on another site.
Making Lemonade
The sales profession taught me that when ‘No’ is heard loud and clear, it frees one up to find a better path ahead. I learned to be thankful when people told me upfront they had no interest, so wasting my time would be minimal.
Accepting ‘No’ allows us to move onward for a far better ‘Yes!’
Upon receiving the awful news, a far better opportunity presented itself almost simultaneously. We still have yet to work out the details to make the project work, but there is a possibility ahead. And if this one is not quite the right fit, it’s evident more will present themselves.
Your Story: Are You Ready to Make Lemonade?
It would be a rare person who never undergoes being stopped in their tracks. It’s natural to take time to get over the disappointment to console ourselves. But those willing to pick up the better pieces from what may be left behind can advance to more significant heights. Adding to the better news about our ‘tracks’ is that we leave footprints behind us for others with a keen interest in our work to follow the trail.
In your quiet time, consider the mishaps you faced and how you handled them. Admit whether you were happy with the outcome or could have done something better to come out on top. The next step is to prepare for an eventual mishap by promising never to give up but find a better way to move forward and upward in your career.
In Conclusion: Are You Ready to Make Lemonade?
The best change I made long ago is to keep a positive mindset. Accordingly, a positive mindset will enable us to move quickly, overcome the lemons thrown, and prepare us to make lemonade!
Thank you, Ali,
I appreciate your taking the time to read the article; your analogies are outstanding and agreed upon!
Thanks Elinor
Your lemonade is fresh and tasty, Ellinor. I enjoyed reading your article immensely.
My wife on a trip learnt from a helper how to soak rice grains in vessels with grooves inside. The grooves held the heavy sand grains but not the rice grains. In a minute. she picked out the sand grains and rice was sand-free.
So maybe we are not as good as you are in making lemonade but instead how to clean rice from impurities.
One idea is having grooves in our minds to remove polluting thought grains.