Everyday, you’re choosing to live one of two lives: the lemon life or the lemonade life. The lemon life is about settling for something less than your full potential. When you settle, you don’t actively control your life path and you allow external circumstances to shape your destiny. The lemon life is about accepting your life as it is.
The lemonade life, on the other hand, is about leading life on your terms, with purpose and possibility. When you live the lemonade way, what you did five years ago, last week or even earlier this morning is irrelevant to your future path.
“When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade.”
PRISM: How Lemonade Lifers See the World
Upgrading your lemon life to lemonade begins with five simple switches. The five switches are (P)erspective, (R)isk, (I)ndependence, (S)elf-awareness, (M)otion. When flipped together, these five switches create purpose and possibility in your life.
Switch #1 Perspective
Change your perspective to change your possibilities.
How you see the world ultimately defines what you can accomplish in life. Too many lemon lifers are prisoners to a negative perspective without realizing it. Lemon lifers, on the other hand, see the opportunities clearly, because they see the world through a positive lens.
Switch #2 Risk
Understand the rewards of risk to make better decisions.
When you remove internal self-limiting beliefs, you build a better relationship with risk and reward. You clear the path to take on more calculated risks and live a more fulfilling life.
Switch #3 Independence
Avoid the herd mentality to gain freedom of choice.
Independence is often hailed as a desirable trait, but too few embrace it. It often feels safer to go with the crowd and find comfort. Independence means questioning the wisdom of the crowd and daring to stand alone, even if you’re wrong. Living the lemonade life means living the freedom to travel your own path, at your own pace and on your own terms.
Switch #4 Self-awareness
Master yourself to master your life.
When you master the art of self-reflection, you see things you need to see, not necessarily what you want to see. You hear things you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear. The most honest feedback in the world comes from self-reflection. Lemonade lifers use this self-diagnosis to better understand themselves, so they can fine-tune and optimize their lives.
Switch #5 Motion
Make lemonade to change your circumstances.
When you make lemonade, you work to create the life you want. Lemonade lifers are not always the world leaders, elite athletes or successful CEOs. They’re just people, like you and me, who made an affirmative choice to be happy as they fulfill their potential, everyday.