2018 is here! I am excited for all of the great things that this year will bring. 2017 wasn’t a bad year for me. It was life-changing. I learned some valuable lessons. I don’t think I would be who I am today if I didn’t go through the things I went through in 2017. Life gave me lemons and I took those lemons and made some kick@$$ lemonade.
Life comes at you fast. It’s up to you on how you CHOOSE to live your life. We have a choice. When life gives you lemons, you can make excuses, feel sorry for yourself and allow negative circumstances to stunt your personal growth. Or you can just make lemonade.
Here’s 5 important ingredients that I used to make my lemonade:
- Stop making excuses. Excuses are not helpful to our personal growth and development. Excuses are self-limiting statements we tell ourselves and others on why something is or isn’t happening in our lives. STOP!
- Grow up. Yes! Grow the heck up. It is not always about YOU! Being sensitive or easily offended doesn’t hurt anyone but you. This was one of the many lessons I had to learn in 2017. I had to learn that what people or say or do is a reflection on them not me. Constantly in defense mode is stressful and exhausting. Growing up means instead of throwing a tantrum when things don’t go your way, you put your big girl/big boy pants on and deal with adversity head on and search for solutions instead of focusing on the problem.
- Self-care. Self-care is non-negotiable. How can you take care of others and you are a mess? Self-care is not just relaxing bubble baths with candles or a day at the spa. Self-care is detaching yourself from people that do not mean you well, self-care is saying no and not feeling guilty about saying no, self-care is leaving relationships/friendships that cause you more stress than they do happiness, self-care is speaking your truth even if it makes others upset. I could go on.
- Own your truth. One of the biggest crimes you can commit against yourself is to be someone others want you to be. People will say things to you and about you in regards to who you are. You do NOT have to accept anybody else’s truth but your own. YOU can only be you. If someone says something negative about who you are, there is nothing wrong with taking inventory because we all have blind spots- things about ourselves others see but we don’t see in ourselves. It can be difficult hearing negative feedback about ourselves from others and part of owning our truth is taking accountability when we have said or done something wrong. But there is a difference between being what someone else wants you to be and taking constructive criticism about negative behaviors we exhibit. The more accepting you are of yourself and own your ish, you are less likely to take the criticisms of others to heart.
- Be kind. Kindness goes a very long way. Being mean and nasty is not good for you physically or mentally. Being kind to others is not being weak or a pushover. It is the ability to show concern, warmth, affection and care to others. Kindness is being able to speak your truth, implement boundaries in a way that is respectful and in love.
The ingredients in this lemonade recipe are interchangeable. You can add whatever you want to make your own special lemonade. That is the beauty of it all-it is YOURS! You can add as many ingredients you want. Some people like regular lemonade, some like lemonade with fruit and some like spiked lemonade! LOL! Some of yall had a rough 2017 so spike it up if you want to. No judgment here. The lemons life gave you in 2017, take those lemons and make YOUR lemonade. Drink up!!
Featured Image Credit: Tiana Buchanan-www.tictail.com/tianabuch
The Honest Aquarian 