Turning Lemons into Lemonade

Discover resilience strategies from expert Grant Wattie to thrive through life’s challenges and enhance personal growth.

Do you crumble under the weight of the challenge, or do you smash it out of the park?

Today, I want to share with you a story about BEING – about the struggles we face, the fears we harbor, and the unexpected opportunities that can arise from what we perceive as failure.

In 2008, I was at the height of my career, co-managing the largest financial services team in the country, I was working long hours under relentless pressure to perform.

But then, everything came crashing down when my best friend, the regional manager, called me into his office and fired me. I was devastated.

I had a large mortgage to pay, and three young children to take care of. I felt betrayed by my friend and deeply fearful of letting my family down.

The future looked bleak. But sometimes, it is in our darkest moments that we find a glimmer of hope.

Unable to find another job at short notice, I found myself feeling relieved, which seemed counterintuitive. It was then that I realized that this could be my opportunity to chart a new course for myself.

I began to think about what really mattered to me. What were my passions, my goals, and my aspirations? I started exploring different paths and eventually found my true calling. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

Today, I want to inspire you to embrace the unknown, to welcome the unexpected, and to believe in yourself. Because sometimes, the things that seem like failures can lead to the most incredible opportunities.

When we face challenges, it’s easy to feel defeated, to give up on our dreams, and to believe that we’re not good enough. But the truth is, we can achieve great things. It’s just a matter of finding the courage to take that first step, to keep going when the going gets tough, and to trust in ourselves.

In my moment of crisis, I found a new path and I’m going to share with you a story of how one simple lunch date with a new friend changed my life forever.

As I walked into my friend’s portrait studio, I was absolutely blown away by the stunning images adorning the walls. I knew then and there that I wanted that – a life filled with less stress and more freedom to do what I love, with whom I want, and when I want.

This is what sparked my passion for portrait photography, and I began to learn the art in my spare time from a retired professional. He had an infectious enthusiasm for “seeing the light,” which he spoke of with the same passion as ancient Persian poets speak of love.

At the time, I didn’t quite understand the importance of light in photography. To me, the light was just light. But this old master showed me how to see light differently, and with such excitement that I was completely captivated.

Through exercises such as studying a tree and noticing the different shades of light wrapping around its trunk or learning about the soft light that falls through a window to create a triangle under one’s eye, I began to see light as a magical tool that could transform lifeless subjects into dazzling masterpieces.

And I soon realized that this principle applies not only to photography but to life in general. We all have a light within us that can shine brightly when we learn to harness it. I refer to this light within as our internal state of BEING.

Now in my work, I am passionate about helping others discover what lights them up on the inside. I strive to highlight their inner beauty, bring out their very best, and create a life that positively impacts everyone around them.

So today I’m going to encourage you to find your own inner light – that spark that ignites your passion and fills you with joy.

Embrace it, nurture it, and let it guide you toward a life filled with purpose and fulfillment. Because when we learn to see the light of our being, anything is possible.

The profound lessons I have acquired through photography can bring out the best way of BEING in people, and I am going to share how this can transform your life as it has mine.

For the longest time, I thought that being is just being – that I am a human being, and that’s it. But it took a great coach to show me that to live an extraordinary life, you need to see who you are ‘BEING.’ When you see it, you can gently change or modify one way of being for another more helpful way of ‘BEING.’ So it serves you.

We all have an internal definition of what is possible to be the best version of ourselves – our true selves – but creating it requires a shift of focus to the inside out, rather than the outside in, by focusing on your state of ‘BEING.’

Objects in and of themselves have no inherent color. It’s the same with our life. The situations we encounter in life have no inherent meaning in and of themselves. They eagerly await our interpretation, like a blank canvas waiting for the painter’s brush.

This means we can reinterpret an emotional state such as enthusiasm, joy, anger, anxiety, or any other emotional state you experience as your ‘being.’ At any given moment. And then when you are aware of your emotional state you can literally choose your BEING. For example, you can choose to ‘BE’ complaining or ‘BE’ grateful when it’s raining.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, what do I want for my life?

I want to share with you how we can all learn to capture the essence of our true selves, just like in photography, and create a life that we love. The unique essence of who we are.

In my current work, I occasionally integrate lessons from photography to help my clients experience their best life through ‘BEING’ their best selves.

Photography for me is not just about taking technically brilliant shots; it’s about capturing the essence of my client’s personalities, so they are ‘BEING’ at their best.

And the same goes for you. You can choose to ‘BE’ loving, grateful, and accepting in every situation. When you change the way, you look at your being, the being you look at changes.

Let me tell you a heartwarming story that I hope will inspire you. One day, a prominent leader came to see me with his son, who was going through a difficult time after losing his mother.

His son wouldn’t leave his bedroom or eat meals, and his Father was extremely worried about his well-being.

Despite his son’s reluctance to communicate, I knew that we had to find a way to help him.

So, I decided to use a powerful visual technique to help represent what is happening internally for him without using language.

I asked him to show me his situation using small figures, and he placed figures that represented himself, his family, and his deceased mother in two circles, showing the present and the future.

In the present, he was very sad and alone, hiding from everyone. His family was standing at the other end of the house without him.

Then he placed the figure of his mother standing behind him, talking to him.

Suddenly I felt a lightning bolt of loving energy enter the room and his eyes bristled and sparked. From that moment he became alive again. I was amazed at how sudden and powerful his transformation.

He then enthusiastically showed me the future, he was feeling happy and was helping his family do the cooking. His mother was still behind him, supporting him, but this time he was standing with his family.

By focusing on his internal state of being, he was able to show me what was happening that he was unable to do in language – and we found a way to help him shift who he was being and take the first step towards healing. He went back to school and helped the family do the cooking.

I’ll never forget that moment, that perfectly represents that you already have the answers within you. Regardless of the difficult positions you find yourself in. With masterful guidance, you can uncover your own truths and move forward with clarity and purpose by shifting your being to a new way of being that powerfully serves you to create what you want in life.

Remember, no matter what challenges you to face, there is always a way forward. You have the power to create the life you want, one step at a time.

All you need to do is see the powerful light of your own magnificence that lies within. As the great poet Hafiz once said, “I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness, the Astonishing Light of your own Being!”

Now let me take you across the world with another adventure.

Have you ever felt like your pursuit of success, wealth, power, or material possessions was leading you down a fruitless path?

That’s exactly how I felt when I was commissioned to create a portrait of a man who despite his wealth and power, he revealed that he still felt incomplete and wished to be as rich as the Sultan of Brunei. It prompted me to question whether wealth was the true measure of success and happiness.

Then, my daughter asked me why I traveled overseas all the time, and I gave her the usual response of wanting to make more money to buy more things. But she shocked me when she said, “I don’t want any of those things, Dad. I only want more time with you and Mum.”

Her words melted my heart and I felt something inside shift. That was the moment I declared myself to be the best husband and father I could be. And this leads me to become a coach and help others focus on ‘BEING’ their best selves.

In my work, I sometimes use the analogy of Michelangelo carving the statue of David. He focused on the angel, the perfect vision within the marble, and carved it to set it free. “I carve away everything that is not David”, Michelangelo explained.

Similarly, I help leaders remove the barriers that prevent them from being their best selves and carve out their magnificence.

Being your true self starts with focusing on the angel, the best, authentic definition of yourself rather than the marble, the inauthentic version of yourself.

My purpose in sharing my story is to suggest that there is a more helpful pathway to happiness, satisfaction, peace, and joy.

My mission in life is to help shortcut the long journey I took to learn this lesson.

So, I ask you: what is the most powerful version of yourself that you would want to capture to create the future you really want?

Remember, it’s not about doing, it’s about being.

So, to summarize, by focusing on your “BEING” rather than your “DOING,” you can tap into your true self in order to create a life that positively impacts everyone around you.

It all starts with a shift in focus from the outside in, to the inside out, and with the willingness to see ourselves and the world in a new light.

Three years ago, tragedy struck my life when my father-in-law fell off a cliff, our business struggled, my mother had her leg amputated, and my father passed away, I realized I needed to go deeper and work on my identity.

I had to learn how to BE a more powerful version of myself for the future I was creating. With the help of a great mentor of mine, I began to refocus on creating myself from the inside out, rather than the outside in. And that has made all the difference in my life.

In summary, when life throws you a curveball, stop and pause for a moment, breathe, and ask yourself, who am I going to BE in this moment?