There's the old saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
Most of us use this trying to console a friend going through a rough patch. (Those of us that even still use this saying.) Many of us likely think it's trite and pointless; not really pointing out any useful insight.
However, insight is all about perspective and attitude.
Anne Frank lived through one of the most horrific periods in records history: The Holocaust. She was a Jew that lived in an attic space with a group of other people hiding from Nazis before finally being taken into a concentration camp. Yet, despite all of that she wrote "I still believe, in spite of everything, that all people are truly good."
That quote is immensely humbling. You look at events going in the world around you that seem beyond your control, or even circumstances in your own life that you feel like you can't get a grasp on and feel angry, sad or overwhelmed. (Or all three) Yet think about what she went through, and the message she left for us to find so many years later. She died and left behind her diary. Her words carry more weight than she might have imagined, but I honor them, because I honor her. And I learn to put my bullshit in perspective. (Note: It's an ongoing struggle.)
Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he had founded. He never gave up. He kept innovating. He kept creating. And one day, roughly a decade later, Apple realized how much they needed his creativity and genius. Steve jobs kept going.
One of my favorite personal examples is Chris Cornell. That man has had two immensely successful bands and a very successful solo career. But when Soundgarden broke up, it would have been easy to say 'screw it' and live off those residuals the rest of his life. But Chris Cornell was going to make music, come Hell or high water. And he's always made excellent music, never losing his personal touch and artistry.
Rounding this out, let's look at the Dalai Lama. A man known for his immense wisdom couple with a child like wonder and joy. This is a man who's home country is under foreign occupation. This is a man who's friends set themselves on fire in protest. Set themselves on fire. Let me say again, things were so bad in Tibet that monks poured gasoline over themselves and set themselves on fire to protest the conditions of Chinese occupation.
Still, the Dalai Lama, a sage in exile, travels the world sharing wisdom, comfort and solace. Don't think for a moment that the thoughts of his home country don't wreck him inside. That he doesn't wish he could go back home everyday. That he dreams that tanks and guns didn't win out over reason and peace. But he hasn't let that beat him. In fact, maybe it's those very things that drive him to try to make the world around him a better place. He doesn't travel the world pushing a political agenda and preaching anti-China rhetoric. No one would blame him if he did. (Except maybe the Chinese.)
But he rose above that. He decided to dedicate himself to something greater. Love. Wisdom. Happiness. Those are worthwhile pursuits.
You can't always change your circumstances. You can always change how you approach them. New studies have shown that stress related health is all about how you view your stress. Stress is your body tapping into it's adrenal reserves, and if you view stress as your ability to deal with the situations more effectively, it actually has a much better affect on your overall health.
Take a moment and look at a situation in your own life that drives you nuts. How would Anne Frank handle it? How would the Dalai Lama? Imagine him chuckling next to you and inviting you to have a frolic through a pile of leaves with him. How would Steve Jobs tackle it? What would Chris Cornell do?
Keep moving forward. Make yourself smile. Even if you don't believe it, sit up straight and smile. You'll start feeling different right away.
You take control of your life when you take control of your mind.
