Adaptability. Yes, you can.

Life is not linear.

If there is one thing certain in life, it’s that it changes. There are many life transitions including finishing school, employment, moving homes and/or destinations, getting married, getting divorced, having a child or not, aging, sickness, and on and on. Think about all the times your life path or circumstance has changed, strayed off course, taken a detour, or just stopped. Life evolves and change happens whether we are ready for it, like it, or don’t like it. The more we embrace it, the more we fully live.

Adaptability is about the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions or changing conditions. Adaptability can be open to new ideas. Are you someone who doesn’t need to do things a specific way just because that’s how things have always been done? What changes have you been through in your life? How would you rate your ability to adapt? The more adaptable we are, the better we handle unexpected events, adversity in life, and all the things that are inevitable. When we embrace change instead of resist it, we have found a reason to be grateful no matter the situation. This creates a mind set of resilience. Adaptability can improve the ability to be vulnerable and empathetic with others. It allows us to be able to lean into different personality zones, understand others, communicate in healthier ways, have conversations instead of just communicating.

Life is dynamic. Nature is flexible and resilient. The arctic fox and ptarmigan, along with arctic hare and ermine, are camouflaged according to the season, changing from winter white to summer brown, and back each year. Small mammals, such as tundra voles, lemmings, ermine, and shrews can’t hibernate in the winter. Instead, they rely on the snow layer to insulate their tunnels and nests. In some places, snow insulation is so good that arctic tundra-dwelling animals are able to even breed in the winter. Trees lose their leaves in the fall for numerous reasons, one is so their branches are not as heavy when the winter snow and ice comes.

Nature knows what is good for her. We do too, but sometimes we resist. We resist for various reasons, mostly for protection or what we think is protection. Not being adaptable creates perfectionism, never feeling good enough, stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, fear. Adaptability creates freedom, peace, confidence, healthier relationships, forgiveness, and hope. Learn how to focus on what you can control, not waste precious energy on what you cannot control. Life changes and will pass you by before you know it. Learn to live with life, not just in life. All creatures including you are equipped and have been given the resources to be adaptable. Find and develop your own inner resources that are within you to help you on life’s journey.

How to embrace change.

1. Say yes more. The more we do, the more we learn and gain confidence.

2. Self Compassion. Talk to yourself with kindness, respect, and grace. We can mess up, fail, get up, and succeed. The way you talk to yourself says change is okay.

3. Faith, you say you have it. Well?

4. Acceptance. Yes, sometimes it is what it is. What now?

5. Practice gratitude daily. This changes your brain and is the best intervention for finding joy and fighting depression.

Good reads.

How To Be An Imperfectionist, by Stephen Guise

The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown

What Happened To You? by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey

Tapping In, by Laura Parnell

The Power To Change, by Craig Groshell

The Mountain is You, by Brianna West