Turning Lemons into Lemonade
Hey, my self-publishing indie authors, life is going to serve us a lot of lemons. That’s just how it goes in this world and in our field of authorpreneurship. Come to think of it, that’s how it works everywhere. Life is full of lemons. So, here’s the thing, when life hands us lemons, we can either get bitter or we can get better.
Let me give you a real-world example. Many years ago, I moved to Cape Coral, Florida, for one year. Cape Coral is right across from Fort Myers in southwest Florida. After driving for a few days to get there with my family, the key was not in our agreed-upon hiding spot. When I called the real estate company, they told me they didn’t have the key. And the person who had the key was out of state for the next few days. Dang…
We were tired after that long drive from Connecticut to southwest Florida. You can imagine how easy it would have been to be very bitter and sour when these lemons were handed to us. We were exhausted, and no way to get into our new home. Also, we had nowhere to sleep that night as well.
I didn’t get bitter at these lemons. Instead, I got better at the thought of traveling and exploration.
I pointed my car at Key West and began driving. I always wanted to vacation in Key West. And now I had a forced upon me golden opportunity to vacation with my family for a few days in Key West.
I believe that traveling and seeing more of the world makes one a better person. So, the analogy should be visible here. When the Real Estate Company and life handed me some lemons, I didn’t get bitter. Instead, I got better through drinking a tall cold glass of lemonade with my family all the way down south in Key West.
So, how does this apply to our own lives and our authorpreneurship businesses? Well, in every way, to keep it simple.
For example, this morning, I was using my email server to send out a mass email to my people, and the email wouldn’t go out. Initially, I was frustrated, and even a bit peeved. But then I figured, hey, I could just send it out that night instead. And besides, more people are usually on their computers at night, so my email would probably have a better chance of being read tonight, instead of early this morning.
Next, I’ve been using the FIVERR service to help me with my books. I like FIVERR. They’re really cheap and do good work. However, I’ve been going back and forth with the woman that I’m working with right now. And I’m wondering if she really understands what I’m asking her to do.
I’m feeling those lemons sneaking up on me again. But, after some further inspection and reflection, I realize that’s it’s really lemonade. Yes, these back and forth may take up more of my time. But, it is also teaching me something about how FIVERR works and, at the same time, producing me a better book through the improved communication between my FIVERR person and me.
I also have the never-ending bitter taste in my mouth over my old computer. I get so frustrated with my old computer. I wish I could just go out and buy a brand new top of the line computer. But I can’t. So, I continue to labor and struggle and even yell at my old computer.
However, this situation becomes a lot sweeter when I think about how many other ways I have had to learn how to do things on my computer when things aren’t working out on my initial attempts.
I’ve been forced to learn a lot of alternative ways to do things on my old computer. And in the end, this is sweet lemonade. It’s sweet to know a lot of different ways to do things. And this extra knowledge comes in handy sometimes when an emergency strikes. And it feels like everything is burning down. Have no fear. Here come the authorpreneurs with our really wet lemonade to put out that bitter burning fire. We’re so multi-talented!
Now, here is some lemonade disguised as lemons. Have you ever gotten an email from someone telling you that one of your links is broken?
Our initial thoughts and reactions are usually something along the line of, “What the heck! Why can’t anything work? I wonder if that person thinks I’m inept. I don’t have time to deal with broken links today!”
Broken links followed by these sour thoughts will make us bitter. It’s like life is throwing lemons at us again, right? Well, upon further reflection, this exact situation is really lemonade.
Think about this for a moment. This person who told you about the broken links was on your social media sites and was actually trying to use your links. That’s awesome. Also, this person is so into what you do, they took the time out of their busy day to tell you about it so you could fix it, so they could then go use our product or service. That’s awesome, too, isn’t it?
Furthermore, if this person didn’t tell you about the broken link, that link could have remained broken for years. And for a very long time, you would have wondered why no one clicked on that offer. This person did you a big favor. He or she served you a nice glass of lemonade.
Hey, the bottom line is that most people fail because they give up too soon. The lemons get to them. Don’t let the lemons get to you. Instead, just keep making lemonade and keep on keeping on, my authorpreneurs.
Watch the free video lesson on this chapter!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBuunSgDrJg&list=PL_-39bUXJitwL8cHUpiZ5mO0-JJuaPOVl&index=71