We come across multiple situations and people in life. There are some we happily embrace and are thankful for. There are others that we have to make an effort to accept.

Our attitude determines how we feel and act when life gives us lemons.

Some people confront the hard situation wisely, make lemonade, enjoy it, and learn from it. Some people avoid the situation, complain about it being sour and remain sour. Being a confronter or evader does not change the situation or people we are surrounded by, but it changes our experience with them and their impact on our mental health.

Successful people are the ones who find sweetness in the bitterness of life and are realistic. Mostly, we feel bitterness when we have high expectations. When we lower our expectations, bitterness decreases and sweetness increases.

One way to lower our expectations is to accept reality and understand that “people and the past don’t change.” It is a reality that many of us learn the hard way, but life gives us this lesson, so it’s better to learn quickly and reduce stress by accepting the reality.

Never sacrifice your happiness and peace of mind by wishing that someone will change into someone you want them to be or that some situation will change that has happened in the past.

Brain Tracy suggests separating facts from problems.

Facts are things we can’t change and we should not spend time and energy trying to change them, as they are facts like current weather, the unchangeability of people’s nature, what has happened in the past or your age. For example, it’s useless and unproductive to fret about your age and why you are not younger than you are. Some people have wishful thinking that they would have a better life if so and so changed or if that did not happen. This type of thinking warrants a checkup from the neck up, as it is irrational to regret the facts and keep on blaming themselves or others and never move on. When we find ourselves or someone else in this situation of carrying the weight of the facts ( the things we can’t change) with them all the time, ask the following question: “How does it serve you to hold on to this issue, excuse, or feeling?”

On the other hand, problems are things we have control over; they can be taken as a challenge.

To take control of any situation, answer these questions:

• What exactly happened?
• How did it happen?
• What can be done?
• What actions will we take now?

More control we have over the situations, less stress, and more happiness we feel.