Somewhere during my “jedi sales training” I learned a quote that has proven to be very valuable in sales, management, leadership and my own personal life. I have no recollection of where I heard this, so forgive me for not giving the proper credit. The magic quote is this “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. While this seems simple, the concept can make even the toughest of situations seem relative. The more you face situations like this, the easier and more natural this concept can become.
While I was running this morning and thinking about my recent commitment to running a 5K in the spring (yikes), I thought how this is lemonade in it’s truest form. When the chiropractor and my back decided to hand me a big ol’ box of lemons (no more basketball for example), who knew I would start running. Now here I am, training for a 5K. Hilarious. But in perspective, it’s making the best of the situation that I have been given. Specifically, it’s the Lord using another situation to further “refine” me.
As I reflected on that this morning, I thought of several examples of people I know that have done the same thing this year. I thought of the family that has been unable to conceive. They recently returned from Peru where they were adopting their third child. How about another couple that lost a child early in their pregnancy? They will be delivering a baby daughter in a few short weeks! The mother that found out that her cancer had returned? I saw her a couple of months later at the park, enjoying the sunshine and playing with her son. Truth is that there is not enough space on this blog to list the examples. Family, friends, loved ones, they have taken the lemons and made lemonade.
How about you? As we enter 2006 this weekend, maybe it’s time to start squeezing! Don’t let the crate of lemons you have been storing go bad. Make lemonade and enjoy the results! Who knows…you could be joining me for the 5K!!
