Sweeten Up Your Life

Sometimes life experiences can be like a lemon-flavored Tootsie Roll Pop. Hard and sour on the outside. Soft and sweet on the inside. Take getting dumped in a relationship for instance. Facing life alone can be tough for many people. Yet, there are behind-the-scenes benefits to every predicament! There's even a sweet treat hidden within the experience of losing a lover. You can find the "pop"—the sweetness—inside your tart tootsie roll by looking behind the surface appearance of your situation. Ask yourself some probing questions: "What's been the beneficial effect of my predicament?" "What did I learn that helped me become a better person?" and "What good eventually came out of the situation?" By focusing on how the experience served you, you can discover how the loss of a relationship can restore your trust in life. Or how losing your job or health can propel you closer to your dreams! Let's check out some real-life lemons. Here are some examples of the unseen rewards of losing your relationship, job and health. And how the sour aftertaste can become sweet! Benefits of Being Dumped I was secure in my second marriage. Then, after 15 years, my husband suddenly abandoned me to marry an older woman. You heard right—an older woman! Go figure! For years following the divorce, my feelings of hurt and anger were compounded by a sense of failure and humiliation. A decade later, I still feel the sting of betrayal. But now I'm armed with the outlook that every experience serves me. "So," I ponder, "what could possibly be the hidden value of getting dumped?" While searching for the benefits, I unearth my involvement in the betrayal. The more honest I am, the more I uncover the truth: I'm the cause of my husband leaving me! I Knew at the Altar! I realize now that the betrayal began at the church altar. As my fianc