There is a famous adage which goes: When life serves you lemons, make lemonade. It means making the best of what you have, something that very few of us practise. Though we may all agree on the wisdom of such an approach, most of us go through life believing that the grass is always greener on the other side and that our neighbours have all the luck and we have all the misfortune.

Last week, I was struck by a story my friend, who had a severe back problem, told me. He was seeing a physiotherapist who, he discovered, was colour blind. The physio discovered this truth much later in life, and it had cost him his seat in medical college. He explained that in the chemistry titration practicals, in which it is critical to notice the exact level at which the colour in a solution changes so as to ascertain its concentration etc., he could not make out the colour pink until it turned a deep crimson. He consequently lost 10 marks in chemistry and as the cut-off percentage to enter medical college was 2 marks more than what he had secured, he could not become a doctor. I was stunned with the cards that fate had dealt him. Yet, I am told, that he is a very cheery person going about his practice with much gusto and never ruing the ‘What if’ side of his life. He believed in making lemonade.

The conversation made my friend reveal two different approaches to life in terms of some real estate losses he had been witness to. One was a person in Mumbai who was forced to sell his flat worth several crores of rupees for just 30 per cent of its value, as the builder had underworld connections and had refused to form a co-operative society. In the absence of a society, the man’s rights were compromised. But he went ahead bravely and sold his apartment saying, “Let me get out of this mess and begin life afresh.” He has apparently set up a flourishing business.

On the other hand, there is a man residing on the top floor of a two-storeyed bungalow in Delhi who is a co-owner with the man on the ground floor. They have daily fights over water, electricity and access and each one is trying to oust the other. In the process, his business is faltering and his family members have worn themselves out as all their energies are being utilised in this senseless battle.

What is the use of this prolonged fight for a few rupees more? Is it not better for him to sell out and follow the example of the man from Mumbai?

But I realise that every man, or woman, cannot decide to cut his or her losses and carry on attempting to achieve the bigger things in life. Many of us get caught in a mental rut. We must understand that we need to change our mindsets to solve a problem, as we cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created it!