I remember years ago, whenever I had a problem, I would stew on it forever. Call up every one of my friends, ask for advice, vent, circle back and forth and up and down trying to figure out the answers. The problem would take hostage of my brain, and it was all I could think about until there was some sort of resolution or so much time had passed it faded into the background of my mind.

I can’t imagine how many hours I wasted. I was so wrapped up in my own world — just a tangled mess. As I got a little older, and the problems got a little tougher, somewhere, somehow over the last decade, I learned a profound lesson:

When life hands you lemons, make someone else lemonade.

Whether it’s volunteering with Enchanted Makeovers, or helping a friend organize her office, or paying for a stranger’s cup of coffee – just connecting with the world around us in a positive way can almost immediately lift our spirits. Honestly, I can’t remember exactly when or how this dawned on me, or just by virtue of experience it became a lesson, but truly when I realized I should step outside of myself, help others, and stop wasting time on empty worrying, my whole world changed.

The sun seemed a bit brighter. The clouds became more beautiful. The rain, which once symbolized despair, turned into a blessing, a cleansing, a soulful dance. Of course, I am human. And, there are times that I have to vent out with tears or talking, but where once in my life it took forever to get over, now it is just moments.

And, although I am writing about it, the proof is in the action. This is something that words really can’t teach and money can’t buy. We find ourselves in others; we find our unique gifts when we have nothing else left but those to use.