Do you remember the age old axiom of life, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?" Well, with all do respect, I completely disagree. Lemonade is terrible for you. It's full of sugar. It takes an electrically charged, alkalizing superfood that is amazing for you, and turns it into a diabetes causing junk food! Does it taste better than a plain lemon? Sure, but it certainly is not good for you. So where am I going with this? In our culture, we tend to associate things that feel bad as being bad for us. We create a culture that is all about feeling good and avoiding pain. We eliminate winning and losing from kids sports so nobody gets their feelings hurt, give our families medication at the first sign of sniffles or a sore throat to avoid any discomfort, take mind altering drugs, prescribed and self administered, to avoid the reality of our lives, and add sugar to lemon water. My philosophy is when life gives you lemons, you have 2 choices and it is all or nothing: either drink the lemon water or throw the lemon away. What I mean by this is that by just adding sugar to lemon water, you are taking an uncomfortable, yet great opportunity for growth, and making it toxic for you. This does not serve you in the long run. Does it temporarily make you feel good? Yes. Will it provide the tools and resources for you to evolve into the you that you have always dreamed of? No. Actually, on the contrary, it is sabotaging your growth.
As I see it, the only 2 options that allow you to be fully alive is to either eat the lemon and deal the with the short term discomfort allowing you for long term growth, or to choose not to eat the lemon. This choice admits to your vulnerability. It demonstrates you are open and fully conscious yet not ready or willing to accept the terms of the current situation. Either way is uncomfortable, yet either way is growth. One choice tests your resolve and courage. The another tests your humility and vulnerability. Both are necessary if we want to full experience this journey called life.
What are you going to do the next time life gives you lemons?
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