When Life Gives You Lemons, Why Make Lemonade? Guest post from Jake French

When life hands you lemons, is there an alternative to lemonade?

“Why make lemonade?” Anyone who knows me would laugh in your face if you told them a blasphemous statement such as that came from my mouth. To friends I’m “Mr. Can Do”, and my audiences know me by the mantra of “Life Happens – Live it!” So why not just put on the obligatory smile and make lemonade like you’re supposed to? The answer is because only making lemonade might not be the right fit for everybody. If you have received this sour fruit there has never been a better time to try something different like baking delicious lemon bars, making a lemon sanitizer, or applying a lemon mask to lighten freckles. If you have had a bad experience professionally, you do not have to let that determine your outcome.

 Your circumstances never have to dictate who you are. When life happens to you it doesn’t mean you just have one option, like only making lemonade. A career change, major life alteration, or new relationship opportunity is there for the bold person who is committed to a positive attitude and making the best out of every situation.

 In your life you will receive bumps along the way. Luckily, you have the choice to determine which way the bump will propel you. Use the sometimes unexpected push as a learning opportunity, a chance to improve your life so it doesn’t happen again, or use the experience to help other people. 3 1/2 years ago I received a boatload of lemons when an alcohol fueled encounter with an old friend broke my neck and left me a quadriplegic. After graduating college a few months prior and working extremely hard to secure a permanent job in forestry, it was all taken away from me in an instant. Working in the woods was not simply a job, it was my greatest passion, my heart and soul. Crushed is an understatement of the hopelessness I felt.

 The more audiences I am privileged to meet and stories I hear have taught me I am not alone in these periodic feelings of self-doubt. The single mother of three who recently lost her job or the near retirement man who got laid off, has every right to feel just as devastated. When you are struggling to escape from a bottomless pity pit or teetering on the edge, this is when you must unleash the phenomenal power of focus. Force yourself to focus on the solution, not the problem and be open to a spectrum of possibilities.

Now might be the time to strike out on your own and become a solo-preneur.  (You know Jackie’s gonna love that!)  Don’t think your only choice is lemonade.  Find something that lights you up and makes you wish sleep wasn’t required. That’s how I turned my truckload of fruit into a speaking career, writing a handbook to happiness called “Life Happens. Live It!”, and ultimately, the best thing that ever happened to me. You, too, can make more than twenty-five cents at a time while doing what you love!  

“The more I talk to people, the more I find I’m not alone in these periodic feelings of self-doubt. My job is to show you how to get past those feelings.  Life Happens!  Live it!”

 

Jake French is an outstanding author and speaker who has triumphed over a load of life’s “lemons”.  Jake is a graduate of the Better, Smarter, Richer Mastermind group and continues to inspire our wonderful community.  Thanks for sharing this post with us Jake. 

Please read more about Jake and find out how he can inspire your group at www.jakefrenchinspires.com , we highly recommend Jake and are so honored to be a part of his journey.  Share his story with your friends and invite Jake into your kids school to inspire the youth or hire him for your next event, his message on determination leaves audiences with the tools to succeed.

Jake was also a guest on our radio show.  Click on the February 8th show to listen.

 

Do you know Jake?  What inspires you most about Jake??  Share below…………