Getting knocked down in life is a given… getting up and moving forward is a choice  - Zig Ziglar

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Lemonade and Silver Linings is intended to help you handle hurt, offense, setbacks, disasters, injustice, unfairness, disappointment, you know – life. Be it big or small, intense grief or something mildly perturbing, or anything in between, what are you going to do with it? And, will you like yourself on the other side of it?

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Napoleon Hill said, “If life hands you a lemon, don’t complain, but instead make lemonade to sell to those who are thirsty from complaining”. My rendition: When bad things happen, turn it for good. There is nothing good in bad, sad, depressed, or disappointment. There’s nothing there for you; so why stay?

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“Oh, Joy, you don’t know what I’ve been through”. Well, you don’t know what I’ve been through either and frankly, it shocks people when they hear some of my stories because I don’t look or act like someone that has experienced every kind of abuse, been homeless, hungry, and abandoned multiple times. That’s because I have done what I teach in this book and have come out stronger and better each time.

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Be encouraged. Even if we don’t share the same past you can still benefit from this book because let’s face it, yuck happens. Be assured, you can live a happy and fulfilling life, now. Today. You don’t have to wait to have peace, rest, joy and happiness in the sweet by and by. And this book is going to give you the tools to make that happen in your own life.

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Here is your caution. If you think that you will skim these pages and then bibbity bobbity boo, all, insert your own bad word here, is gone, you will be intensely disappointed. There is effort on your part and, as with anything new, it will take mind renewal and practice. The up side is that the more you employ your newfound understanding, the easier it will become and then one day you will realize that things that used to grate your final nerve simply… don’t. You will find that things that would upend your day no longer impact you. And, when life throws a lemon at you, pelts you with many, or backs up with a dump truck load of them, you will be armed to overcome, making your lemonade and turning something good from it by seeing the silver lining. Because, there always is one.

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There’s a line in a song that says “you’ve gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining”. Taking this perspective with you everywhere you go is essential to living a life of internal peace even when the world around you seems to be falling apart. Don’t put the book down. I am not saying that you have to become fake and pretend things aren’t happening. We are actually going to acknowledge the mess that just landed in your life, then put it in a perspective that enables you to overcome… to grow… to not let it define you. Did you read that? Instead of said pile determining your life trajectory, you are empowered to move past it. You decide what defines you, not the lemons.

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I get it, you may be in searing emotional pain right now. Your mind may be screaming. You may have not slept much in weeks because of this awfulness. Or, you may just be tired of a lemon pelting or thundercloud overhead impacting you so deeply. You want to be able to shake it off, maintain your dignity and self-respect, and come out a better version of you. It is possible. I am living proof of it. Time and again. And so can you.

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Does this mean that I am perfect and have no opportunities to practice this anymore? (Did you just hear me laugh?) Heck no. While our lemons and thunderclouds are different, the process is the same. My point is that the depth of the suffering isn’t applicable in the process. I know that sounds harsh. Again, be encouraged, you’ll see what I mean as we progress.

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Lastly, this book is not an end all. There is no way for me to touch on each possible scenario and list every type of help out there. What this book contains are sure, founded, tried and true methods to get the ball rolling, your feet under you, peace in your heart, hope in your days, and a sense of confidence and purpose to propel you forward. You read that correctly. You will strengthen and grow in this process! Instead of being the same or worse, you will be better! Part of your continued growth is to seek out other modalities that may benefit your specific need. I will touch on that in Chapter 6 and have provided a Resources by Chapter section on my website as well as a Discussion Group and Community to support you. (See the end of Chapter 7 for more information.)

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What to Expect

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Here’s what you will find in this book: A loving but in your face reality of how to handle lemons, the real meaning and purpose behind silver linings, how to maintain peace through the mess, and how to continue growing once you are on the other side. This is rinse and repeat regardless of the offense type or size. The action steps may be different with each situation, but the process is the same. This is what I used when my (first) husband and son went camping and never returned home (huge!), when I found out that one of my dearest friends was betraying me (awful), when I lost my job and none of my coworkers ever checked on me (hurtful), all the way to the bozo that felt it necessary to cut me off while changing lanes almost causing me to crash (not cool, dude). Same process, different action steps.

 

Your Part

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What’s your part in all of this? Continue reading beyond this introduction, revisit sections of the book as needed, answer the questions at the end of each chapter honestly, and make use of the free resources and community set up to support you. Don’t just skim through this looking for a magic bullet. I promise you, there aren’t any. However, you can read this book looking for what you can apply today to start changing your life right now, to reduce the pain right now, to stop the jumbled thoughts right now, to regain a foothold and stop the spiraling right now. Those are big promises, yet I can say it with confidence because I have lived these many times over. Life happens to all of us, not just you. If this process can help me to be a happy, life enjoying, motivated, excited person, and has helped many others, then it can help you.

 

So, grab a notebook and prepare to notate your journey and also use it to answer the questions at the end of each chapter, not in your head, in writing. Believe me, you will be glad that you did. Soon you will be able to see the progress. It’s motivating to look back and see that what was a seemingly endless set of days and nothingness was really movement. It’s thrilling! But you won’t experience it if you don’t do what’s asked of you and if you don’t start now. So, let’s do that. Let’s get started. Right now.