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 fiance slipped the ring on my finger, I knew that we weren't meant to be married to each other. I betrayed my own intuition by agreeing to be his wife. The undeniable fact is that I'm the one who abandoned me, not my spouse.

Why didn't I listen to my inner knowing? I realize now that I was afraid to be alone. To avoid loneliness, I jumped into matrimony.

These startling realizations release emotions that have haunted me for years. As more liberating insights pour in, the sour feelings begin to lift. I actually start to appreciate my ex-husband! He had the courage to tell himself and me the straight dope-that our relationship was dead.

Long-term Rewards

Having these fresh insights gives me renewed strength and curiosity to keep asking questions. What could possibly be the long-term benefits of being forced to live on my own? How has it served me to have to take care of myself? What good has come from this experience?

Slowly I begin to spot my good fortune of being left in the lurch:

I've learned to trust my intuition-and life itself-again

I've faced my fear of being alone and find that I enjoy being with myself

I've learned how to make my own way in the world

My focus has shifted from material to spiritual pursuits

When you live alone, you stop being controlled by another person's actions and reclaim the freedom to pursue your personal passions. You create a more personally meaningful lifestyle. And being alone, you're much more available to people and activities that support you in creating your unique dreams.

Benefits of Losing Your Job

"We won't be needing your services any longer." When I heard these words come out of my employer's mouth, I was floored. But I shouldn't have been.

Out of desperation, I'd taken e