I had this thought the other day: Everyone’s life is both sweet and sour.

When life fails to “meet standards of quality and performance”, what’s our recourse? This I know for sure- the most successful people have met their sour with grace and weaved their bitter failures into profound knowledge.

While in some cases legal action may be warranted, it is still we/you who must contend with the physical, economic, emotional, psychological and spiritual consequences of that posture. “Winning” does not guarantee feeling successful, or always lead to improved quality of life or performance.

Dominant culture (literally) tells us that to win is to be “right” and therefore the “good” gal or guy. The loser is the “wrong” or bad” guy/gal, the “stupid” one, the one that deserved their intolerable fate. This stance, a symptom of our ignorance illustrates our own resistance to life itself, and therefore to the rich goodness and sweetness that often arrives in bitter disguises.

The “winners” are really not ever winners. What have they really won and at what expense? Thankfully, when we graduate from those dualities and arenas, life is seen less as a game and more of an adventure and experience. We’re no longer interested in being “right”, but in learning. We’re no longer interested in “winning”, but in being kind to ourselves and others.

Accordingly, we no longer feel like unwilling participants or victims, but actual co-creators in the events that shape the quality of our own lives. We clearly see past the symptoms, the noise, and distortions, both internal and external, and understand, from a much wider and open lens the root causes of things.

If you suddenly find yourself with “life lemons”, part of that situation or experience is definitely for you. Therefore, how you respond matters. In turn, this becomes a new “life warranty” of sorts– one that clearly stipulates the conditions, performance, and quality of your life.

You could certainly throw the lemons back at whoever threw or gave them to you–or you could choose to see and act from the most loving and wisest part of yourself. Fundamentally, the choice is entirely on your hands: What are YOU going to do with those lemons?