I know it’s happened to you. You’re tired, overworked, overwhelmed and trying to just keep your head above water in the middle of your world falling apart. Then right in the middle of your perfect storm some well-meaning loved one says something like, “When life throws you lemons, just make lemonade.”
Seriously?
Congratulations for resisting the urge to hurl them through a plate glass window. Never mind the fact that you HATE the lemonade they suggested you make with the sour fruit you seem to be overrun with at the moment, and the fact that lemons make you break out in hives.
They really did mean well. They just didn’t know what to say and somehow felt obligated to say something. But that’s for another blog post. Here’s the meat I want to get to.
Did you know that your attitude about what’s going on determines how you react to anything someone says to you? It’s not their fault. As feeble as an attempt might appear to you, they really were trying to help. When it hits you the wrong way, well, you can’t really blame them.
As writers, we are a fickle lot. Things affect us in a way that they may not for someone else. We feel everything. Have an emotional response… to everything. So when we’re tired, overwhelmed and feeling pretty crummy about life in general, we’re not going to respond favorably to the lemonade.
When that happens, it’s a clear sign that we are in dire need of a checkup from the neck up. It’s not about lemonade, or even the fact that you’ve heard that saying a billion times too many. It’s about attitude.
You see, no matter what happens in your life, no matter how out of control things seem to spiral, you still have control over one thing: your attitude. How you react to anything is completely up to you. Even if your car was careening down the side of a mountain and you couldn’t get your seatbelt unhooked to jump out, you control your attitude. Always!
Admittedly, sometimes I get so hung up on myself, I don’t always heed my own advice. But I should, because it’s true. I’m in control of how I react to everything. So are you.
During this season of juggling writing, holidays, family, friends and the pushing/shoving fight at the mall, take a deep breath and remember it’s your gig. You’re in absolute and complete control over how you will react to every bit of it. That truth is empowering.
So do a checkup from the neck up. How’re you doing?
What was the worst platitude someone ever said to you in a challenging time in your life? How’d you react? Share it here.
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