Lemonading: Turning “Why Me?” Into “Watch Me”

Learn how to “lemonade” life’s challenges by embracing a growth mindset, failing forwards, and finding meaning in the setbacks.

Life has a way of handing us lemons when we least expect it. Projects derail, plans fall apart, and people sometimes let us down. It’s easy in those moments to spiral into “why me?” to feel stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed. But what if the goal isn’t to avoid the lemons at all… what if it’s to “lemonade” them?

What It Means to “Lemonade”

Lemonading (v): the art of turning “why me?” into “watch me.” It’s not about pretending the hard stuff isn’t hard. It’s about staying curious, even in setbacks, and asking “What’s this really trying to teach me?” This reflects the mindset Maxwell describes in his book “Failing Forward” - failure isn’t a dead-end, it’s a stepping stone, an opportunity to build confidence, clarity, and courage. We don’t fail backwards, dwelling on mistakes. We fail forwards - using challenges as opportunities to grow.

Find Meaning in the Mess

Every setback offers insight if we’re willing to look closely - a boundary we need to set, a lesson we’ve been avoiding, or a reminder of our own resilience. Lemonading is about finding meaning without waiting for the mess to disappear. Some might call this a growth mindset, the belief that our abilities, resilience, and perspective can expand through challenge. I often work with clients navigating job changes, redundancies, or career uncertainty. At first, these situations feel painful, personal even, and it can be hard not to let them shake self-belief. But together, we explore how to turn a setback from a -1 (a loss) not just into a 0 (neutral), but into a +1, into something that genuinely moves them forward.

I’ve seen clients go on to:

• Set up their own businesses, following a passion they hadn’t previously pursued.

• Retrain in a career they’d always wanted but hadn’t had the courage to explore.

• Secure a job that far better suits their skills, values, and lifestyle.

How to Start Lemonading Today

Lemonading isn’t about toxic or relentless positivity - it’s about choosing curiosity, courage, and meaning, even when life doesn’t go according to plan.

• Reframe setbacks as data and feedback; see them as lessons, not failures.

• Ask the right questions:

  - “What is this teaching me?”

  - “What do I know now that’s helpful to me?”

  - “How do I leverage this?”

  - “How can I make this situation work for me?”

• Stay curious: notice what each challenge reveals about your strengths, limits, or values.

• Fail forwards: learn from the missteps and adjust, rather than staying in regret.

• Focus on progress, not perfection: growth happens in small steps.

✨ Ready to Lemonade Your Life?

If you’re ready to turn setbacks into opportunities, embrace a growth mindset, and fail forwards with confidence, coaching can help. Together, we’ll explore your challenges and turn them into growth, clarity, and actionable steps forward.

Let’s get started