We have all heard the expression when life gives you lemons make lemonade, right?
What I find interesting is to really think about what turns lemons into lemonade. I’ve come to realize that it’s one simple ingredient: sugar. This realization brings a few things to mind. First of all, I am a self- proclaimed “make lemonade out of lemons kind of girl”. I will take a lemon situation and make lemonade out of it at every opportunity and I do it almost every day. Between business and personal life, I have to find “sugar” variations daily.
Most recently, the paper quality of the last Gaston Alive! magazine was a real lemon for me. I had to add a great deal of “sugar” to get the right lemonade. The “sugars” in this were first and foremost my advertisers. They all waited patiently for the reprint and faithfully supported me with encouragement. The second and equally as important dose of “sugar” that contributed to the making of my lemonade is my staff. They worked tirelessly on getting a new issue together and a resize for our new printer. Not to mention my NewPoint Media Group (the current printer of The Real Estate Book and my other publications) team rallied around me and rushed our Gaston Alive! magazine on the press to have a top quality magazine, as promised, out to our readership as quickly as possible. Last but not least, my family contributed greatly to the making of my lemonade by believing in me and encouraging me when I felt like I was still stuck with lemons. These are the added “sugars” to the lemonade of success!
As I think of day to day encounters with clients, friends, family, and those in my circle, I think about and am thankful for my different variations of added sugars. Every once in a while I’ll be faced with one of those “artificial sweeteners”, but overall I manage to find just the right amount of pure “sugar” to turn the daily lemons into lemonade. Don’t get me wrong, it’s never perfect and sometimes there are those lemons that I have to slice up and add to iced tea, or there may not be enough “sugar” to sweeten some situations or people, but knowing when to cut your losses is a lemonade trait!
We have “sweetened up” this issue with a few more advertisers, articles and new columns such as the “Did You Know?” and the “Publishers Pick”. I hope you find these enjoyable and look forward to reading each issue. Help us spread the word and tell our advertisers that you saw them in Gaston Alive! magazine.
Enjoy these days of spring and sunshine, and make the most of every situation. Something as simple as one ingredient can turn a situation around. It may be a word, a task, a prayer, or simple forgiveness. Find your “sugar” and make your lemonade!
Until next issue, ignore your critics, love your enemies, and give your life your best. Life is too short not to make lemonade with all the right sugar.
