Life Giving You Lemons? Don't Make Lemonade!

Have you ever thought about how cliches can hold you back?

Bruce Kaplan’s brilliantly quirky picture book for adults, “Everything Is Going to be Okay,” recently got us thinking about this idea.

The book, which tells the story of an awkward, struggling commencement speaker, says:

“He began by spouting clichés. He went through every one he had ever heard, ending with, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Make lemonade from lemons – it sounds like good advice, right?

But then, the book’s secondary character, Rosemary, questions that advice:

“That thought had always angered Rosemary. What if you didn’t like lemonade? She didn’t and never had. She wanted to scream at the graduates, ‘Don’t make the lemonade! Go find yourselves a new tree, one with fruit you really want.”

On the surface, this seems like little more than a silly little story. But when you look deeper, this excerpt presents us with a challenge to think critically and to use our creativity.

When we get caught up in clichés, we are unable to see our way to the answers we need to be successful. A knee-jerk reaction results, where when we are presented with a problem or dilemma, we simply spout a cliché in order to power through to the next challenge.

But taking the time to stop, think critically, and then brainstorm solutions is a far more effective response.

So, next time you are faced with a challenge, don’t just go with your knee-jerk reaction. Try, instead, to take a step back. Analyze the situation, brainstorm potential action steps, and then move forward.

The result is sure to be a more innovative one – and you might be pleasantly surprised to find you get what you really want, instead of just settling for yet another glass of lemonade.