Adaptability – Being Flexible With Life Challenges

“The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” Okakura Kakuzo

Flexibility, “rolling with the punches”, and “go with the flow” are all terms we have heard often enough. But what meaning do they truly have for each of us? Are you a person who can easily meet challenges within your own environment? Are you flexible in your outlook and attitude, willing to bend so as not to break? Of all the qualities that help us effectively navigate the twists and turns of life, adaptability might well be the most important one.

We all face challenges on a constant basis, sometimes small ones and sometimes ones that threaten to topple us! The way we look at and react to these situations will influence how successful we will be in terms of dealing with and overcoming them. And keeping our own sanity along the way.

In today’s society, where changes can be quick and all-encompassing, being flexible and resilient help us remain strong, confident and balanced. For example, years ago in the corporate graphic design world where I worked, creatives were suddenly plunged from doing everything by hand (drawing, paste-up, typography, etc) to having to translate everything onto the computer. This was not a slow and gentle change. It was abrupt and demanding. Those that resisted, believing this change would not really take place, or that it was something they could not possibly acclimate to, found themselves suddenly dinosaurs — and unemployed ones at that!

Technological changes are happening around us today at warp speed. This is especially true regarding the internet. Who could predict that Social Media would take such a sudden and huge leap to become a major force in business as well as social circles? So we need to adapt and learn in the business sense too.

The ebb and flow of change happens within personal relationships as well. Being flexible and open-minded with others improves the quality of our relationships.

Life entwines us with all types of people — with whom we need to interact for a variety of reasons. Adaptability helps us get along with varied personalities and in turn, that helps our lives flow smoothly and peacefully. You may have observed that those “rigid” personalities around you have more discord and unhappiness in their lives. Successful, joyful people are adaptable ones!

So embrace the resilience that lies within you (for it does) and develop a consistent mindset of adaptability. Know that you CAN “go with the flow.” Managing to hang on to your sense of humor along the way makes the rough waters of change and challenge even easier to navigate.

Affirmations for Adaptability:

• I meet life’s trying times with perseverance and flexibility.
• I view obstacles as temporary challenges to overcome and learn from.
• I am confident in my resilience, and recover quickly from setbacks.