Before Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemons Completely Irrelevant.

A few days ago I wrote about ‘How to CEO your life ’ — how to assemble teams and resources, to support your life’s ambitions.

On that day, I started with a personal audit.? And I found a few gaps in mine.

Today, I worked on addressing one of those gaps… It was setting aside a sum of money in a segregated account, to form my “Personal Crisis / Emergency Response Fund”.

To explain why this is an important step in making life ‘1% Better’ — I want to share a story of how my wife and I once dealt with a very trying moment in our life.

About 7 years ago, while we were back in Singapore on a short trip — something happened suddenly, requiring us to stay on for two more months.? We had two young children in tow, and no permanent accommodation.?

We had to find a way to settle immediately, and make life work… while dealing with a very long-drawn and emotional event.

That afternoon, I postponed our flight back to Melbourne… and I contemplated two options:

• The first — was an obvious choice — to go for a simple, no-frills short-term apartment near basic amenities like a laundromat, and affordable eateries.
• The second — was a family suite at the St Regis, Singapore.

I remember standing in the lobby of the St Regis, after having viewed the suite… and thinking to myself:

If we opt for the simple service apartment, we would look back at this moment in life, and only think about how we were dealing with the grief that we were experiencing then.? BUT — if we booked the St Regis… we would probably look back, and think about the butler-drawn baths, the five-star dining, the laundry service, the evening soirees by the pool… and more!

While it was a significantly costlier option — it was clear to me what mattered most.

I didn’t want to simply ‘go through’ a very difficult moment.? I wanted to waltz through it… sorrows and all… I wanted to transform the very memories we would have of that period — forever.

I made a decision to ‘burn’ a chunk of money, and not look back at it.

So — for two months, my family and I stayed on in Singapore… indulging in the extravagance of a luxury hotel suite, waited upon by a wonderful team of butlers and service staff who went above and beyond, to make hotel-living an unforgettable experience for us.?

We had friends and family visit us during that time, all of them treated to dining experiences (and non-dining ones), that we could not have better provided anywhere else...

Today, seven years on, the very matter that had left us distraught for months is long past, and wonderfully resolved.? And when we look back in time, it’s hard to even remember the sorrow without smiling at the uniqueness of our experience, and laughing at the memories we made there.

So — that’s what the “Personal Crisis / Emergency Response Fund” is for.? I believe that setting aside of discretionary cash, and mentally preparing to sacrifice it to deal powerfully with personal setbacks — is a great way to prepare for the perplexities of life.

You know how it is said… “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”?

Well, I believe there are times when you indeed “make lemonade”… and simply accept that life has dealt you a bad hand.? But, there are times when it’s better to say — “To hell with the lemons.? I’m drinking champagne.”