An individual’s ability to be flexible and adaptable in life is critical for success. Flexibility as a characteristic is perhaps the greatest attribute among the most successful people because it helps individuals overcome challenges both in their personal and professional lives and easily adapt to new situations or challenges. Forbes magazine highlights agility and flexibility as a character asset for success in business because these characteristics allows people to adapt and evolve with the fast rate of our ever-changing society and world around us. Being flexible also means pausing before reacting, not getting defensive, multitasking with ease, and being innovative. Individuals with high adaptability tend to be more perceptive of others, have a stronger sense of themselves, and thus, trust their instincts.
When faced with uncertainty, our brains typically engage in an automatic or instinctual and inflexible response that neuroscientists have called a “negativity bias.” This may have been an adaptive trait for survival that served humans well long ago. However, in current times, this ‘bias’ leaves us reacting to difficult situations as though our lives are in danger. As a result, we become fixated on potential threats rather than considering the bigger picture. In turn, by interpreting change as something that is threatening us, we are more likely to feel stress and other negative consequences to our personal health and well-being. Because success demands flexibility, people who are adaptive are inclined to have better physical and mental health. In this new normal, it is important to face uncertainty with flexibility by making space in your life for new options, approaches, lessons, and routines. As individuals and as a community, we need to rise to the occasion of this new normal and flexibly adapt in order to succeed. In doing so, we are also optimizing our mental health.
While positive thinking may be difficult during these stressful times, one useful strategy is to engage in self-inquiry as a way to combat negative thinking. For instance, ask yourself, “Am I willing to do what it takes? When have I done this before? If the worst happens, how will I address it?” This reframing technique encourages curiosity instead of fear, and elicits inner creativity and problem-solving. Practice noticing and accepting your thoughts; seeing them as thoughts, not facts. Ruminating on old thought habits might have a certain allure, but it can lead to unnecessary suffering. It is also helpful to reappraise the situation (or, ‘check the facts’) in order to diminish negative feelings and enhance positive feelings. A cognitive shift can occur by facing uncertainty with increased flexibility and creating more possibilities and adaptive ways of engaging in the realities of today. For example, instead of feeling stuck with little to do, shift your thinking to self-examination, recalibration, and acceptance of what is and what can be.
Another helpful exercise could be incorporating a daily mindfulness practice by logging your experiences to certain situations. For instance, write down the Facts/Situation and then your Thoughts, Emotions, Bodily Sensations, and Action/Impulse that precipitate. This is a great way to begin building greater self-awareness, especially awareness of your habits and repetitive thoughts and emotions.
Ultimately, increased flexibility and adaptability should facilitate increased purpose, and the ability to find the lesson innate to any experience that we face, and to discover oneself through calm reflections and a shift in perspective. To summarize, “It is not the strongest or most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change” – Leon C. Megginson